


The Song of the Blizzard

by Anonymous



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Children, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Child Abandonment, Everyone Needs A Hug, Family Dynamics, Found Family, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned Niki | Nihachu, Swearing, They all are trying, Winter, no beta we die like wilbur, sbi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29656596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Abandoned at 12, Tommy has lived on the streets for a year now. He wouldn't say he's the best at it, but he is living. He wants nothing to do with other people and their fake sympathy. Being on the streets was fine, he could be alone for the rest of his life. Does he want to though?Enter Philza, Wilbur Soot, and Technoblade.OrTommy is yeeted onto the streets at a young age, Phil wants to help every child he sees, there's going to be tense moments, some fluff, and yeah.and the author doesn't know how to have a consistent writing style
Relationships: Phil Watson & TommyInnit, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 55
Kudos: 326
Collections: anonymous





	1. Rushing Music Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Ages:
> 
> Phil: 32  
> Wilbur: 17  
> Techno: 17  
> Tommy: 13

Running away from people is hard, especially when you are a 13-year-old. It's the hardest in winter and when you have no money to pay for food or transportation. You would have to scour through trash cans and the streets for food or money, not fun. 

Fortunately for Tommy, being a kid gave him a bit of leverage when he was younger. Now? He was too tall to be considered a young boy that needed pity, and after a while, he knew he didn't need their sick sympathy for someone like him. He was sufficient on his own.

The winter's wind licked at his skin, dark clouds raised above, waiting to litter the land with its white snow. The weather always wanted to drag Tommy down to the ground. Whether it is the heat wanting to melt him to a puddle or the icy winds and snow that want to freeze him alive, it always had something against him.

There was always a warm feeling about the streets and how shops lined them, how people mingled their way with their laughs and jokes, how the lights danced along the sky. The roads were never dark, and the pavement was always worn from so many people's daily use. Tommy always enjoyed being there. It was also the home for a lot of food and money if he was fortunate enough.

There was also a peaceful sense of falling asleep in the parks nearby, under the trees where stars guided the young teen's hope. Hope that these years will be bad for now, but soon enough, he would thrive and be happy.

It was one of the colder nights Tommy had dealt with. His warm coat only blocked out some of the cold, and the worn-out blanket wouldn't do much help. He craved for the warmth given by the streetlights and the body heat of people nearby. Tommy softly wandered more and more. The voices of people humming tunes made the boy feel a bit better.

Songs played over unknown radios at a soft tune. Tommy had heard them so many times before that his voice strummed against the melody. It was always gentle not to draw attention from other people who used the night for themselves. 

Tommy hummed as he walked along the pavement like he knew what he was doing like his legs knew where their final destination was. He didn't know where exactly he would end up with all of this walking, but he could barely care. The familiar stone pathways would carry the mind to somewhere with no destination.

Tommy clutched his backpack closer to his back as he walked. He knew the shadowy dangers of being out late. There could be people that wanted to take his things or even him for wicked reasons. Trust was hard to find out in this life. Someone could just pick you up and use you, throw you out again, and laugh as you suffer.

That's what happened to Tommy, thrown out like a ragdoll after he was deemed 'not needed.' It was a cruel night, the winter's sirens sung the storm into the night, and something went wrong. One moment, Tommy was surrounded by plastic warmth; the next, he was out in the siren's music. He managed to live from there for the past year. He has suffered all the season's songs, and he has prevailed, so why can't he keep going.

Even if he found being alone better on his heart, there would still be moments when jealousy and sadness tugged at the strings. Tommy's melody didn't need to have people in it. He was fine having the music being made by himself; he could learn the tunes all by himself. It didn't stop the strings from wanting to strum to others' melody, and Tommy would have to try and stop that tune.

He eventually found his legs by a familiar pastry store. It was one he would usually pass by every day to feel its kind warmth. Even with the bricks and glass blocking out most of it, Tommy can feel the warm air of baked goods and happiness leak into the streets, into Tommy. It was always the nicest feeling out there, even if he couldn't go inside.

Tommy had never actually entered the warm hug of the bakery. He always usually sat on the bench nearby and let the sents fill his empty stomach. People usually get more hungry by the invading sent of delicate goods and perfect food, but Tommy had taught his body to trick itself to make him feel full. Sometimes it wouldn't work, and he would feel more hungry, but most of the time, it would work, and he would feel full for a bit before reality's ocean crashed against Tommy.

The night had been a quieter melody than most days. Murmurs were the only thing Tommy could make out of the passerby's. No words formed in his head, no other tunes by other people to connect to. The lonely feeling glided through Tommy. It made everything feel colder and darker around him.

Until laughter filled the empty melody.

Laughter strummed the lonely strings and pulled Tommy's head to look at the source. There was a group of three people walking out of the soothing bakery. The cords of happiness strummed light around them. They could even bring other people to smile. And they did do that. Tommy saw the three, one with pink hair, one with brown hair and a beanie, and one with blonde hair (very much older than the other two), all joking and laughing. The pink one with a smaller smile, the brown one made the stupid joke, and the blonde holding a box from the bakery.

Tommy could tune in to the conversation if he wanted to. He could connect his ears with the warm dynamic of the other three, but his heart stopped him from doing so; it refrained from joining in to at least try to make him smile. He just sat on the lone bench, a shiver gently moving his body and the warm puff of air coming from his mouth every time he took a breath of air.

"Hey, where are your parents?"'

A voice strummed the strings of contact, and Tommy flung his head up to see the older male staring at him. The two teenagers also stared at Tommy. All their eyes danced with concern, some at levels harder to detect, but Tommy could feel that concern leach into him. Tommy stayed silent for a bit longer, seemingly trying to ignore the three. He expected them to leave after he disregarded them as many people do. Once Tommy doesn't try to connect with them, they usually give up their fake care and leave.

So why weren't these people leaving him alone? Why did they seemingly get more concern leaking out? Tommy softly put his head down and tried to ignore the concern, even if he wanted to call to it. The lonely strings of his emotions wanted to call out, to connect to something, but he kept trying to cut them down. Make them short so that he wouldn't latch onto anyone. 

"Do you need help? How long have you been out here for?" The one with pink hair calmly asked. Unlike the other two, he wasn't showing much concern, but there was a flicker of it in his eyes. Tommy made the mistake of not stopping himself before speaking out loud, even when it felt like the right thing to do.

"A year..." It came off low and raspy. Tommy barely spoke out loud to others. The only times when he would use his voice was when he was deep into the forest and screamed at all the people that did him wrong, cursed at everything that had done the mental injuries. He was loud by himself, but he always became smaller around other people.

There was a gasp from the one who hadn't said anything; besides that, it was just shocked silence. A silence that conveyed strange feelings. Tommy didn't like the silence, and he tried to block it out. He tried to block out the three in front of him that were etching into more concern. 

"Do you need help? Why have you been out here for so long?"

Tommy didn't answer; he barely heard the second question enter his ears. His mind had focused on the first one. Did he need help? No, he was sufficient on his own. He had gone this far, made his song on his own. He didn't want help. He didn't need it either. It didn't stop the older male from getting on one knee to match Tommy's field of vision.

"You feel so cold, and you look so pale. Are you sure you don't need any help? I- We can help you. You are obviously not ok, and you need help. If you have been here for an entire year, living like this, I...you aren't going to make it too far."

The words were the final stretch for Tommy. It was such fake concern, fake sympathy, they don't care, _no one cared_. Tommy knew this. If people had cared, why hadn't they stopped him from being out? If they worried, why did he get thrown out? If they cared, he wouldn't be here, sitting with strangers who didn't know what they were talking about.

"If you want to show fake fucking sympathy, I reckon you show it to another kid that will believe it." Tommy sat up from the bench and glared at the three, who all looked a bit shocked at the statement. 

"It's not-" The brunette started, but Tommy didn't let him finish.

"IT'S ALWAYS FAKE! WHY DO I HAVE TO FUCKING LISTEN TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" He screamed before he yanked his backpack from the ground and threw himself into running in the opposite direction from where he came from. He could barely register the shouts from behind as he kept running. He let the air cover his ears; he wanted to forget about everything.

He could manage on his own; he didn't have to listen to fake worry. He will make it; he is a strong person. His feet kept him going, and his head makes the unconscious turns. He tried to speed up when he heard footsteps behind him. Someone or other people were chasing him. While he never had a confirmation on who was chasing him, he could suspect it was the three from earlier. All Tommy could do was hope that he could lose them.

He couldn't notice at first, but he could feel himself getting weaker after a bit of running, and it was harder to grasp at being conscious. He hadn't run this fast and far in a while, so he deduced that it was just his body not catching up to his mind.

There was a slight panic in Tommy when he started feeling dizzy and when he was beginning to see some black enter his vision. He had felt this feeling before. He knew that he was most likely about to faint from god knows whatever circumstance that came up.

He pushed and pushed to stay awake. He struggled against his adrenaline to go farther and farther. To hope that he didn't fall when the three were nearby. He didn't need their help if they are even offering real assistance with whatever he was dealing with. 

He kept telling himself to keep running, keep going, but his legs started to get too heavy to move, his body starting to shut down. He couldn't push himself anymore as the darkness was welcoming him with the warmest arms that night. Warmer than the bakery and warmer than the hands of the man that was trying to help him.

Tommy didn't even notice he was falling until he felt his legs not moving anymore. He could barely mentally prepare for the impact of the hard stone under him. He must have fainted before he hit the ground because he never felt the impact. Maybe it was thanks to the darkness.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Phil was trying his best to catch up to the kid. His legs carried at a fast pace, but he knew that the unknown child would be faster. It was just that he was a child, and Phil was way older than him.

What he didn't expect to see while chasing the kid who desperately needed help was one of his sons, Techno, racing after him as well. Techno was the fastest out of the three. Phil didn't know if Wilbur was also running, but he got that answer when he had started to slow down, and Wilbur was right next to him at a rushed pace.

"Why did he run? We just want to help." There were lingers of sadness and worry in Wilbur's voice. He was always the one to worry about everyone that he saw in pain. Wilbur had the most empathy for kids that would run around in the streets.

"Some kids like him think they don't need help, Wil. I know he needs help, and I think there's a little part of him that wants our help."

"Reminds me of when you first found Techno. He ran as that kid did."

"Yeah, but I was harder to catch-" Techno's voice filled the two's ears, and they flung their heads to see Techo standing there, holding the kid's unconscious body bridal style. Techno's face was hiding the concern that everyone had.

"Jesus Tech, you scared him to fainting?" Wilbur asked, and Techno's face morphed into a scowl.

"Did not. He just straight up fell out of nowhere; he almost hit his head against the pavement if I wasn't able to catch him."

Phil straightened up, and Wilbur did the same, "Well, I think we should take him home now. He probably just needs proper rest. If anything bad happens, I will take proper measures. Thank you, by the way, Techno, you didn't have to do that."

"Well- I... you always want to do the right thing, and since you couldn't reach him, I just...did it for you...didn't want to see you moping." Techno blurted, causing the other two to chuckle slightly.

"Isn't this like, kidnapping?" Wilbur asked, looking at the unconscious child and back at Phil.

"If he has a family that is safe for him to go back to, then so be it. I wasn't the only one that heard him say that he had been out here alone for a year, though, right?"

The two younger kids nodded, and they all started to walk back in a soft silence. The only thing they were mostly paying attention to was the quiet breathing from the kid in Techno's arms. Phil was worried about how easy it seemed for Techno to carry the kid, and he could tell that Techno was also concerned when he would shift the boy in his arms. Wilbur was always sneaking glances at the kid and looking around if some foreign shadow would jump them.

Thankfully, the car was not too far away. They managed to all get inside without disturbing the kid. Phil did find it cute, though, when no one wanted to join him in the front seat because the two were too worried about the stranger. Techno didn't even try to hide his uneasy grip and eyes as he watched. They had propped the kid in the middle seat, so the two teens surrounded him. Wilbur made sure that the sleeping male was as comfortable as possible, and Techno ensured no injuries. Phil was driving silently, making sure to pin every question to his brain that he wanted to ask the kid.

They all were slightly relieved when they could transfer the kid into a guest bed with no issues. The kid was still softly sleeping and even looked very comfortable once he was safely in the bed. Phil smiled softly and closed the door to the guest bedroom, looking right at Wilbur and Techno, whose gases already were asking Phil.

"Why don't we make some hot chocolate and talk, ok?"

The two nodded and made their way downstairs. There were soft chattering as Phil got out some small snacks that they could chew on if they were hungry during their little meeting.

The three found themselves sitting on the couch, all with a mug in their hands and some snacks spread out along the small table. They all sat in silence before Phil softly broke it.

"Sorry that tonight didn't go as planned, you two. I am happy, though, that you two seemed to care so much about him, even if he is a stranger."

Techno spoke next, "it's no big deal. You usually want to help those in need. You helped us, and I just want to help you help this kid."

"Yeah, seeing him run off reminded me of when we first saw Techno. You were sitting out beside a tree, and Phil had noticed you. We had to chase you for a bit before we convinced you to come with us for some food."

"Convince is a funny word to describe what you did Wil, you basically just dragged me by the arm and gave me no other option."

"Well, I'm sure you are glad that I did that, though, right?"

Techno turned his head to hide the small smile peaking on his face.

"Yeah."

Phil smiled at the two before going back to the discussion.

"Now, I need to make sure that we are on the same page. You two need to help me with future plans, and I want to make sure you two are ok and pleased with every decision that is going to be made."

"Haven't heard you be this serious in a while, but Tech and I understand," Wilbur said with a nod, Techno nodding as well.

"So, would you two be ok with him staying here for a bit? I don't know if he will, but I want to know if you two were ok with having him here."

Wilbur was the first one to respond on the matter, "I am worried for him. He seemed to be in an awful position back there. I'm glad that you found him and that you are taking care of him. As long as he doesn't do anything horrible, I don't have any problems helping him for the time being."

Techno replied soon after, "you took me in when I was in a similar position. I can empathize with him, and I know what most of his thoughts are. He needs help, and I think it is best if we help him together."

"Reckon Tech's gone soft for the stranger," Wilbur said playfully, and Techno just rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Wil."

Phil smiled at the two before speaking again, "since Techno literally slept for an entire day and a half when he first stayed here, I want you two to be quiet until Tommy wakes up and is being a functioning person; you two understand? No yelling or talking loudly at 2 am. The guest room that he is staying in is right next to Techno's room, and I know that you guys like to hang out there all the time."

"We will keep it down, we promise," Techno said softly.

"If I catch ya two being loud late at night, I'll...I'll....uh....make you two do a bunch of chores for the whole week!"

"Scary," Wilbur said, sarcasm slapping Phil in the face. All Phil did was laugh at it, though. He knew the two teens in front of him were very respectful when the time came for that.

"I'll do my best to keep quiet, dunno 'bout Wil though," Techno shrugged, finishing his hot chocolate in one big sip.

"Rude."

The group tried their best to cover their soft laughter, not to disturb the just upstairs sleeping person.


	2. Tuning the Light Melody Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support on this story! I really enjoy writing it and can't wait to post the next chapter!

It was warm. Not like an uncomfortable warm that makes your body want to do anything for just a sense of cold. No, this was a comfortable warm, a warmth that Tommy felt safe in. He felt at ease for the first time since he was on the streets. It felt wondrous to him; there was no urgency to shoot up when the sun hadn't even risen yet. He couldn't hear the loud birds chirping or other wild animals rustling throughout the bushes. There was a breath of clean air; nothing like being in the city, where pollution was always taking over your lungs.

It took Tommy a moment to realize that being warm and safe with none of his senses picking up that he was outside was concerning. It took him a moment to open his eyes and shoot up from his laying position. He was not in a familiar place. There were painted walls and furniture. There were a couple of blankets on him that were different from the one he was used to. Instead of being outside, he was separated from it by a window. This window had shown the familiar landscape all into a smaller canvas. Tommy could see that the sun was already high in the sky, singing the melody of life to the animals and plants that were under its protection.

This made Tommy distressed as he tried to get off the bed that he was apparently resting in. The room was medium-sized when Tommy first examined it when he was sitting up, but now it feels so small and like he was suffocating. He had no idea where he was. Was this just a frantic dream? Was he kidnapped? Why was he in a room instead of the cold ground of the wilderness?

Tommy stopped at the door, hand on the knob when he remembered what had happened the night before. The bakery, the lonely feeling being too strong for a moment, the distinct laughter from unknown strangers, the fake concern that felt real for once, the warm hands, the yelling, the running, the chasing, the darkness. He must have passed out somewhere while running or after running. He must have been caught by one of the three that was chasing him. That made the anxiety bubble up more, and Tommy gripped the handle and threw the door open. What if the people who caught him wanted to use him like last time? That is what they all did, and that's what Tommy swore to never be in again.

But it smelt nice there, and the comforting warmth resting in the house strummed to Tommy. It was so different compared to the cold and distorted feeling that was everywhere else. It felt safer than being outside as well. The cold winter air that couldn't be warmed by the sun wasn't there. There were no sents of alcohol or loud, booming noises that would make Tommy want to cover his ears. It was quiet, peaceful, a pleasant serenity. 

Tommy's pace slowed to a walking speed, but it felt so slow to him. He was used to having a pep in his step due to all the dangers you could be in for being slow. He examined the upstairs to the house, which seemed to be empty for the moment. There appeared to be four bedrooms upstairs, all decorated differently. The room nearby had the door cracked open, and a sense of cleanness and a sense of energy were found in the decorations. There was a somewhat clean bathroom next to that room, and besides that bathroom was a room that had a melody of warmth in it. It felt like it was offering a hug when Tommy had just creaked the door open. It was a tad bit messy, though, but everything in there seemed to be loved by its owner. At the end of the hall, the last room felt like the two rooms combined into one. It had a feeling of security, but one where you decided if you wanted t be there. It didn't feel like you were trapped with cold eyes. It felt soft being nearby.

Tommy made his way down the stairs and froze when he heard people's soft voices filling the room. He could make out the familiar three from last night. So they had kidnapped him. Tommy didn't know why, but his legs and heart were almost pushing him to walk towards them. His brain screamed danger, but his gut reassured him. His mind was playing tricks on him. Why did he feel safe in the house with the same people that took him? Was this what Stockholm syndrome was like? But Tommy didn't like his captors. He just felt safe in their home.

Before he could register it in his brain, he was already standing in the room where everyone talked. The smell of warm fast-food lingered in Tommy's nose. It made his stomach growl. Thankfully not loud enough to draw attention to himself, but what did was when his legs took another step forward, and he accidentally tripped against a chair, yelping at the pain shooting up in his toe.

It made the pain more intense when he saw the others staring at him. Tommy tried to shrink away. He wanted not to be seen at that moment, but he was frozen. His body was not reacting to what his brain wanted him to do. Why couldn't he just _run_? His breath quickened, and he could feel his body getting weaker. He started backing away; it was staggered and short. He could feel his back against the wall. It felt so sharp against his skin, and he didn't know why. He didn't know anything. Why was he there? Why was he in this house with people? Why did they seem so worried about him? Why did his mind say that he could be alone? Why did he want to be alone? Why did he now want to be comforted by the same warm hand that gripped his face last night? Why, why, why?

He could barely even focus on his surroundings; he just couldn't breathe enough to focus. He could hear shuffling and noises around him, but his brain didn't focus on what the voices were saying and where they were coming from.

He couldn't see, he couldn't feel anything, hear anything, he only felt this body as if it were collapsing on itself. His chest burned, and his eyes were so panicked. Why can't he just be outside? Why can he just stop panicking and try to get his legs to move? Why couldn't he _move_

It all almost dissolved away when he felt warm hands on his shoulder and one drifting to his face. His breath was still shallow and frantic, but he could feel it and could focus on it a bit.

"-you hear me?" A voice focused into his ears. It rang with concern, and that is something Tommy could tell. He didn't respond, though; it felt like his own vocal cords were not wants to make a noise. So, he tried to nod.

"Try to breathe with me, ok?" The voice said softly, "Just take deep breaths; it's ok; you are ok."

Tommy tried to take deep breaths, but it would hitch and stop from time to time. He was expecting a shout from one of the three, but it never came, just some comforting presence of a few people.

It took some time, but his breathing slowed, and he wasn't able to focus on the people around him. The two teens were standing close but had a distance to them. The man was the one who was holding him and had a kind voice. Tommy's body relaxed before he could tell, his shoulders going down and his limbs no longer being all tense.

"Are you ok? You scared us for a second there, bud," The man softly said. His voice still was filled with concern, a feeling that didn't sound like the other adults who just wanted to add to their daily 'good deeds' list. It said genuine like he was actually worried to be worried and not to fake being a good person.

"I'm..... I'm fine...s...sorry...I didn't mean to f...freak out..." Tommy said shakily, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room. His ears tried to focus on the busy television in the background.

"It's alright, kid, we all have moments like that," A somewhat monotone yet soft voice said. This was the one with the pink hair. The one with the brown hair walked forward, holding his hand out with a kind smile.

"Hey, I'm Wilbur. What's your name?"

Tommy reached out to the hand carefully, and he was pulled off the ground by Wilbur. Once Tommy was standing, he had flinched slightly. He was waiting to be knocked down again, but it never came. He quickly remembered the question he was asked, and he promptly straightened himself slightly.

"Tommy... It's...Tommy."

His voice was louder than before, but it still had a meek feeling to it. Tommy was waiting for a shout for how quiet it was. He couldn't understand why the house was so peaceful. Why hadn't someone yelled at each other yet? Why was there no anger in any of them?

"Nice to meet you, Tommy; you are a very fast runner," the one with pink hair said, "the name is Techno."

Tommy nodded at that. The voice sounded cold when he spoke, but Tommy couldn't detect any hints of ill feelings in it. It really just said that Techno was most likely tired.

"And my name is Phil. It's good to see that you seem to be well-rested. You scared Techno when you suddenly passed out."

Techno grumbled to that, but he didn't deny it. Tommy cocked his head to the side. Confusion replacing fear for the most part. He just couldn't understand what was going on.

"Sorry I did that...sorry I was asleep in your house...I can... I'll leave now...I bothered you guys too much..."

"Nuh-uh, you are staying with us for a little bit Tommy," Wilbur said boldly, "you haven't been taking care of yourself, and I don't trust you to be out there by yourself."

"But I am fine...I don't need your help. Plus, this is your guy's house, and I don't belong here," Tommy mumbled. Sure, he doesn't take care of himself at all, but that didn't matter.

"A kid like you shouldn't be out in the streets. How old are you, anyway?" Phil asked. There was that same worry on his face. It never left and never faltered. Either these people were insanely good at acting, or this was really them being worried.

"I'm 13...not a kid," Tommy said, wanting to sound firm, but his tone betrayed him.

"Techno and Wil are 17 and wouldn't want them out in the streets like that," Phil said softly, gently rubbing Tommy's face, "do you have any relatives that you could go to instead of being out there?"

Tommy shook his head and could feel the frown on Phil's face deepen. Phil sighed and said something else, something that Tommy hadn't heard in a long time.

"Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

"...what?"

"We have food. Techno got some Mcdonald's earlier and got some chicken nuggets for you. If you don't like them or want something else, I can make something else."

Tommy almost froze. No one had ever asked him if he had wanted food for a couple years at that point. He was so used to fending for himself or making whatever he could reach at the time. His mind was denying that the food was for him.

"I...for me? I mean...are you sure it isn't food for yourself?"

Wilbur shook his head, "Techno bought like, 40 earlier for us all to eat. We saved a lot for later, and you can have as many as you want."

"Are...you sure, though? This isn't a joke, right?" Tommy mumbled, causing the three to sit in another shocking silence that felt sad in a way.

Techno walked over to a bag and pulled out a cardboard box, handing it to Tommy. Tommy had stared at it for a moment and grabbed it softly, it was warm, and he could feel the cardboard on his hands. He could also feel that there was something inside. Opening it revealed the nuggets mentioned earlier. They all were so real, and Tommy had touched one, shakily holding it in his mouth before taking a bite out of it.

It was one of the best things he has ever tasted in his life. It exploded with flavour in his mouth. He had had them before, but he had forgotten what real food, not scraps, was like. He looked up at the three, who nodded with a smile, and he kept eating them. He had forgotten how hungry he had been until that moment. He ate the shitty fast food like it was his final meal, and it was over quickly.

Tommy looked at the box in his hand and grimaced. He had wolfed the food down so quickly, without any manners for the matter. He was already a lousy guest, just sleeping until afternoon and now eating an entire box in less than 2 minutes.

"I... I'm sorry...I ate it so quickly, and there were no manners-"

Wilbur chuckled and put a kind hand on Tommy's shoulder, Tommy's shoulders tensing for a moment before his body declared that this wasn't an act of violence.

"Ya really think manners are cared about here? God, you are in for a surprise, Tommy."

Techno rolled his eyes and took the cardboard box away from Tommy with a question:

"Are you still hungry? Do you want anything else to eat?"

"N...no, I'm fine..but could I...have some water. It's fine if not, I am just thirsty and-"

"Water is essential to life, Tommy, of course, you can have some," Phil said warmly, and Techno was grabbing a glass and began to fill it up.

"I heard somewhere that water helps with depression," Wilbur joked as Techno rolled his eyes, looking at the other.

"I heard that too; I don't really believe it myself if I will be honest with you."

Techno handed Tommy the large glass, and Techno swore that it was gone within 2 seconds.

"Jesus, Tommy, you are going to start feeling sick if you inhale water that quickly."

Tommy coughed a bit, "sorry."

"It's fine, just slow down a little, won't ya? The water isn't going anywhere," Phil chuckled, and Tommy nodded.

"Now that Tommy has eaten and drank something, why don't we show him around the house!" Wilbur cheered, clapping his hands together.

"Sounds like a good idea, one of your better ones this week," Techno chuckled, and Wilbur frowned. Phil just rolled his eyes at the two and turned to Tommy.

"You want to have a tour of the house?"

Tommy nodded, "yeah, I guess that is ok."

Phil smiled and started, "well, this is the kitchen, as you could probably tell. The pantry is down there," he pointed to a room that was filled with dry food, much more than Tommy had seen in his old house, "there's a lot of snacks in there. You can eat whatever you want; just try to keep it a bit healthy, but I am not one to judge."

"Ooh!" Wilbur shoot up and went in front of Tommy with a smile, "every Sunday, we go get food, and we are allowed to pick almost any snacks we want! The next time we go, I'll help you pick out what you want!"

Tommy nodded. Free-range of food? That sounded nice to him. He would be able to eat whatever and whenever he wanted. The three didn't see it as him stealing, so it was good, right?

Wilbur basically dragged Tommy to the next room, catching the younger one by surprise, "this is the sitting room! We usually do family game nights here, or we watch movies! Those are usually every Friday, and we switch between people and what they want to do that night!"

Wilbur was jabbering, and Tommy kept up, but he was also just trying to take in how large the house was. It had such big rooms and felt really homey. He couldn't detect any way how the house would have a sinister feeling to it, and it was just edging him to _want_ to stay for longer than a few weeks, which is the time Tommy predicted the three would be sick of him. Maybe he should try to be a respectful person, and they won't get rid of him quickly.

"Wil, I think you broke him," Techno poked at Tommy, who had been lost in his thoughts at that moment. Tommy yelped at the sudden contact and flung back before realizing what had happened, and he exhaled.

"Sorry, Tommy didn't mean to scare ya'," Techno apologized. Tommy shook his head and hands for a moment.

"No, it's fine...sorry, I got scared..." Tommy apologized, and Phil smiled softly.

"If it makes you feel any better, Wil had jumped at his own shadow the second day he was here."

"PHIL!" Wilbur's face reddened with embarrassment. Techno and Phil laughed, and Tommy slipped a few chuckles out. Wilbur saw this and gave a giant and fake frown.

"Tommmmyyy, you are supposed to be on my side!" Wilbur cried out, and Tommy shrugged.

"I mean...getting scared of your own shadow, that's kinda funny, Wilbur."

The room erupted with warm laughter, the melody of warmth playing into everyone. Even the tune brought a chuckle to Wilburs face. It was a moment between the four that caused Tommy to really smile f"r a moment. He enjoyed being with them.

"Back to the tour, there's a guest bathroom down the hall, we don't usually use it, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. A bit to the le"t, and that is where my office is. I would say don't go in there, but Wilbur and Techno play so many stupid jokes in there that I can't stop you. Just please try not to break anything."

"You have no proof that it was us," Wilbur shook his head and looked to Techno, who nodded in agreement.

"I literally found the can of silly string in your room an hour later, Wil," Phil shook his head with a laugh and directed the group upstairs. Tommy could hear Wilbur curse to himself and Techno laughing at him.

"Ok, well, up here is mostly our bedrooms, but there is a small couch here where we would play some games on the TV. Techno and Wil sometimes mess around in there."

Tommy nodded, and Phil pointed to the rooms he saw earlier.

"Ok so, the first one is mine. If you need anything, just knock if I am not in my office. I don't care what time it is; you are always allowed to wake me up, even if the reasons that seem incredibly stupid."

"One time, Techno woke him up because there was a typo in his book, and he didn't understand the word," Wilbur laughed, and Techno crossed his arms.

"You woke him up because you got a scratch on your guitar, which was entirely a bit of gunk."

Phil shook his head and rolled his eyes, "that's proof enough that you can wake me up for whatever reason. Those two do it all the time."

Tommy nodded, a smile forming on his face. It was nice seeing such a fun family dynamic. Phil didn't seem to get mad at the two when they did something that usually got him in trouble, and they were usually all genuinely laughing 

"The room right here is Wil's; he never cleans up in there. I swear I am going to clobber you one day," Phil joked, but Tommy had tensed for a moment. Techno had seen this and put a hand onto Tommy's shoulder and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry, Phil can't hurt a fly; he is just joking."

Tommy nodded and looked back to Phil and Wilbur, both with smiles on their faces. Tommy let his shoulders lower, and they continued down the hall.

"This is the bathroom that you all three will have to share. We can go out and get some bathroom items for you if you need them."

Techno butted in, "If you want to take a warm shower, you better take it before Wilbur does, he uses all the hot water, and you would have to wait an hour for it to warm back up again."

Phil nodded to that, the two shooting a glare at Wilbur, who huffed and turned his head away. Phil walked up to the next room.

"This is Techno's room. It's the closest to yours."

Tommy nodded again. He didn't know what spoken words to say. He could just say 'cool' over and over again, but that was kind of stupid.

Phil entered the last room, the one where Tommy woke up, "and this is yours. It used to be the guest room since the family before us also had three kids, but it will be yours. We can get you some stuff to make it more like you. I don't like it looking plain."

"I mean, you don't have to-," Tommy started, but Wilbur cut him off.

"None of that! We are going shopping for you, and you are going to get what you want. You also do not get to say 'I don't care.'"

Tommy sheepishly nodded, and Wilbur smiled in triumph. Techno just shook his head is somewhat of a disappointment, and Phil was smiling three like he usually did.

"Now that the tour is over, why don't we go sit down on the couch and let Tommy get a bit more comfortable with us. He can ask any question he wants to about us, and we can do the same, as long as we are comfortable with answering it."

"Ooo! That's a great idea!" Wilbur cheered before flying downstairs before anyone could even react. Techno, Phil, and Tommy just sat there and looked at each other with newly painted confusion. Techno's face morphed into realization, and he threw himself down the stairs.

"He's gonna steal all of the good snacks, that little-"

Phil sighed and pulled out his phone and turned to Tommy.

"You like pizza?"

Tommy smiled.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Techno, you fucking bitch!"

Techno smirked as he took the fake money from Tommy's neat pile and put it in his own. Phil was hardcore laughing, and Wilbur was also laughing.

"It's your fault you landed on my property-"

"IT'S YOUR" FAULT! YOU BOUGHT IT, YOU FUCKER-" Tommy screamed but retreated almost immediately.

"S-sorry, that was too loud-"

Wilbur frowned before turning to Techno and also shouted, possibly at a higher volume than Tommy.

"SUCK IT BITCH. YOU GOT ROASTED BY TOMMY!"

Tommy looked at the three for a moment and gave a nervous chuckle before laughing with a louder feeling. This caused the other three to smile, even Techno.

The four had gotten the information they wanted from each other. It was all basic stuff like ages, favourite colour, favourite snacks and drinks, movies, etc. The four had gotten bored of it and decided to have a night filled with playing monopoly and eating all of the food they wanted to (or whatever they had in the house) as well as the large pizza ordered earlier.

They all had forgotten how long of a game monopoly was until it was almost 1 am, and they hadn't even finished; they were about halfway through the game at most. The rich and pure moonlight had shone through the windows and was visible while the four cleaned up the mess and had the lights in the room turned off.

Phil yawned, "I don't think I have willingly stayed up that late in a while; we really got lost in the game."

Techno and Wilbur shrugged, both looking slightly tired, but they didn't seem to have plans on sleeping anytime soon, "eh, it was fun, I guess. I am currently winning cause I have the most money."

"Bitch, you bought all of the spaces you landed on and upgraded them the moment you could," Tommy scoffed, and Techno chuckled.

"Stonks."

Tommy glared for a moment before it softened. That could cause a fight, and the last thing he wanted to do was be thrown out on the first full day that he had been there. He still hoped for a couple weeks of being comfortable with this group so that that conflict couldn't start now. Maybe he did create some during their game, but the others were doing it as well, so it seemed appropriate. 

"Well, boys, I'm going to bed. You guys can do whatever; just try to get a little bit of sleep before tomorrow. I know you two don't have school for another 3ish weeks, thanks to that idiot, but you still need to do some of the assignments," Phil sighed as he put some of the snacks away, and Tommy looked in confusion. Wilbur noticed and answered the silent question.

"Kid at school burned a part of the building down. This week is closed due to that, and then we get the other 2 weeks for break. We do have assignments to finish, though, but Tech and I finished them last weekend."

Phil nodded, "well, goodnight, you guys. Try to keep it down a little bit since we have a big day tomorrow."

The three mumbled a goodnight, and after Phil disappeared into his room, Wilbur flung into the pantry and pulled out a few snacks and drinks.

"Let's go play some Mario Bros! Tech and I literally finished a full area last night and heard this one was hard, so we need your help."

Tommy tried to retort, "I've never played before-"

"It's a simple game to learn; we can teach you. Plus, if you deny, Wil is going to cling onto you until you do join," Techno grabbed a bag of some crisps.

"I already got what you said you liked Tommy, let's go!" Wilbur grabbed Tommy's wrist, and they raced up the stairs, and they all threw themselves onto the couch as they turned on the TV and handed another a remote.

While Wilbur was setting it up, Techno was teaching Tommy the controls. As they said, they were easy to pick up, and Tommy was confident that he could at least play a bit without falling.

Tommy wasn't told that they were on the final world, though, and Jesus Christ, that world was challenging. Tommy was barely staying alive and had to be saved many times by one of the two by him. There was a lot of hushed shouting to try and not wake up Phil. They all played with aggression, and that was tiring out Tommy more and more. Eventually, they all made it to the end of the third level. Tommy barely survived it because of how tired he was and how hard it was to control his character. They all cheered softly when they completed it together.

Tommy knew that there was a little moment between levels, so he could just shut his eyes and relax for a moment in between them to try and register any energy left in his system. He wanted to stay awake to play with Techno and Wilbur, it was fun, and he really wanted to enjoy it. So closing his eyes for a few seconds would not hurt-

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"I think Tommy is asleep," Wilbur mumbled as he paused the game and turned his head to the weight that was against his side. Sure enough, Tommy was sleeping soundly, his body leaning against Wilbur, and his head was on Techno's shoulder.

"Bruh," Techno grumbled and tried to shift Tommy off, but all that came was a whimper. He was going to stay like that no matter what, and Techno had no control over it. I mean, he did, but he also didn't really want to move.

Wilbur was in the same predicament as if he tried to sit up, Tommy would shiver without someone else's heat source. He turned his head to Techno and smirked.

"Really clingy, huh?"

"Shut up, can you go get a blanket for us?"

Wilbur nodded and left the room, soon coming back with many warm blankets and laying them out over the three. They made it as comfortable as possible. The two awake found it pleasant. They were surrounded with warm blankets and had the new edition to the family in the middle of them. It had been a while since they slept in the same room. It was nice bonding.

Both of them looked at Tommy's sleeping body and then looked at each other, Wilbur with a warm smile and Techno with a smaller smile. They both had the same thought in their heads as they fell asleep.

No matter what, they want to help Tommy, and they wanted him to stay.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Phil awoke early, planning to make breakfast for the three. He had heard them yelling at the TV and had smiled that night, knowing that the three were getting along really well already.

What he didn't expect when he walked out of his room was to see the three on the couch, sleeping on each other. It was a cute sight, and Phil melted at it. He snapped a photo without any thought and went downstairs softly to make breakfast for the family.

Tommy was a keeper, he knew this from the start, but that moment made him believe it even more. That child was a keeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shit you not Grammarly goes down and when I try to paste the document into a different grammar source, it glitched 200 words together, I hate it  
> So if there's grammar mistakes or anything really please let me know


	3. It's Busier Than What I'm Used to, But I Like it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliche chapter ahead, but I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Also Happy Birthday to the creator of Minecraft, Philza Minecraft. I know he won't see this and I don't want him to but I hope he has a great day!

Tommy awoke to laying against something hard. He probably slept leaning against the tree-

Oh, wait. He was sleeping against Techno. Right, he was still in the house. He hadn't gotten kicked out yet. Tommy sat up and stretched, folding some of the blankets off of him. He turned to Techno, who was sleeping peacefully before a few moments blinked, and he had started to stir, his body not used to Tommy being separated from him.

"Morning Tommy," Techno yawned and sat up, feeling around for his glasses and slipping them on, focusing on the other with tired eyes. Tommy nodded a greeting to him.

"Mornin' Techno, sorry I fell asleep on ya' last night," it came out low and grumbly as Tommy was still trying to shake some of the nights sleep from his body. Techno shrugged and flung the blankets off of him.

"You more were on Wilbur last night, actually. You just had your head on me."

"Sorry...probably was uncomfortable."

Techno sat up, stretching his arms and rolling out his neck, "honestly, I would think it would be more uncomfortable being in a position like that. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Tommy nodded and was now focused on the scent of something in his nose. He sniffed the air for a moment and recognized the smell of bacon and some toast. Techno noticed this as well. He turned his head to the stairs and then to Tommy.

"Phil must be making breakfast. Let's hurry before Wil takes everything."

"Would he do that?"

Techno nodded, "he has eaten my breakfast so many times before, and I am not letting him take my food. You should be worried too; he usually takes the good stuff."

Tommy paused for a moment. He was used to not having food for a while, so it didn't bother him as much as Techno paints it to be. I mean, it's where Wilbur lives. Tommy is just staying there as a guest. If Wilbur needed the food, he could always have Tommy's.

"Bruh, Wil, if you think about taking our food, I'm going to take your guitar and hide it!" Techno grabbed Tommy's wrist gently and whipped him down the stairs at a slow pace to probably make Tommy feel comfortable because he wasn't as scared as he thought he would be to be dragged. 

When they got down to the kitchen, it was just Phil standing in there. He turned and smiled at the two with a wave for a greeting.

"Good morning, you two! Wil is making sure that the stores we want to go to today are open."

Techno let go of the soft grip and sat down at the table, resting his chin in his hands, "did we keep you up at night?"

Phil chuckled, "it was nice hearing you all playing together. It sounded like you were having some fun. Even fell asleep near each other. I got a photo!"

Techno rolled his eyes, "you are your damn photos. You have like 100 of us. You really need more?"

"I only have one of the three of you," Phil pouted, "Tommy needs the love as well!"

Techno sighed and made eye contact with Tommy, "he likes to take photos all the fucking time. There is no escape, and if you say you don't want to, he will take 20 more. Now come sit down so we can annoy Wilbur."

"What about me?"

Wilbur mumbled as he walked into the room, holding his phone as he looked at Techno with a glare. Tommy shrunk under it, and when Wilbur saw this, his face melted into a smile.

"Morning, Tommy! Did you see the photo Phil took last night? It was cute!"

Tommy waved softly and made his way to the table with Wilbur, sitting down while Phil was finishing breakfast.

"Didn't say good morning to me, Wil."

"You didn't say it either bitch."

"Bruh, why am I supposed to say it first? It is always you."

The two started playfully bickering. Phil was telling them to stop, but they were either ignoring him or not listening to him. Tommy was just in the middle of it, trying not to listen to the arguing. He was spacing out so much that he jumped when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He whipped his head to see Phil there.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said in a semi-hushed voice, "do you want to get first selection? Those two won't stop arguing, and maybe they will stop when they see you with food."

Tommy looked behind him and back at Phil, "would they get mad at me for getting the food first? What if I take too much?"

"Sucks to be them then," Phil shrugged, but his face softened when he saw Tommy tense to the words. "I can make more, and I made enough for a lot of people, so you can take as much as you want. I promise. Also, those two won't get mad at you over food. If they do, they are just joking around."

Tommy nodded as he stood up, and Phil guided him over to the pans but had Tommy keep his distance so he doesn't get burned by the excess heat still clinging onto the metal.

"Ok, so I have some eggs, some toast, and bacon. Is there anything you do not want? I can supplement anything you don't want."

"I'll have everything; it all looks amazing, Mr Phil."

Phil chuckled and started putting everything on a plate for Tommy, "just Phil is fine. Mr Phil makes me feel formal, and I don't want you to see me like that."

"Oh...Ok...Phil, thank you."

Phil smiled and handed Tommy a plate, "of course. I put some strawberries on your plate but if you don't like them or are allergic, just let me know! You can also pick whatever you want to dink, well within reason, no soda, please."

Tommy nodded; he wasn't allergic to anything and really wasn't craving any soda that early in the morning. He decided to pull out some water for his drink, and he sat down. The two were still arguing; the argument had shifted to sibling responsibilities. The two bickers didn't seem that they were going to get out of hand, but he still turned his head to look at Phil, who just smiled and shook his head at the two bickers.

"Wait, Tommy got food, but we didn't?" Wilbur noticed the blonde eating, and that snapped the two out of their argument as they shot their heads to Phil, who just shrugged.

"You two were too busy arguing, so I let Tommy get firsts. I'd say he got the best slice of toast."

Wilbur grabbed his plate and shot to where the food was, instantly dumping some food onto his plate. Techno just gave a weirded-out look as he watched his brother gather the food so quickly.

"Could you go any faster?" Techno mumbled as he placed some eggs onto his plate and reached for the jam that was in the fridge.

"Gonna get cold."

Techno huffed and slammed the jam onto the table. Wilbur eas the first to reach out to grab it, but Techno swatted his hand away and turned to Tommy.

"Wasn't Wilbur going to have that?"

"Ye-!"

"First come, first serve. Since you got the food first, you get the jam first. it's a rule."

Wilbur shot up with a frown, "no, it isn't! Phil, tell him he is wrong!"

Phil smirked and put his plate on the table, and sliding into a chair, "I don't know what you are talking about, Wil. It has always been a rule since the beginning."

"You all are going soft because Tommy is here," Wilbur mumbled and slipped down with a grumble.

"...'m sorry-" Tommy mumbled with sadness and regret in his voice, but Wilbur started shaking his head frantically.

"No! N-No! Tommy, it's just a joke- there's no reason to apologize. You can have the jam first."

Tommy stopped and nodded for a moment before shakily reaching for the jam and spreading it on his toast quickly. It was a light layer, but he didn't want to use it all up, so he just screwed the cap back on and slid it to the middle of the table. He was still eyeing it, though, as Techno and Wilbur looked at the jam and then at each other before both launched to grab the can.

Techno won that fight.

He smirked as he opened the jar and then quickly grabbed the uneaten piece of toast from Tommy's plate and spread some more onto the slice of double-baked bread. Tommy looked at Techno and mumbled a 'thanks' before Techno screwed the cap and flung it to Wilbur.

"Don't like jam too much, not even craving it that much. Plus, the flavour is gross. We ran out of my favourite flavour. I just wanted to snatch it because Tommy over here forgets how to put jam on toast."

"I do not," Tommy rolled his eyes and went to eat his food slowly. Eyeing the others as they ate at their own paces. He was still nervous to eat with the group. Frankly, he had never really eaten with a group without any conflict arising. So, he had every right to at least be cautious.

"Are the stores open, Wil?" Techno's voice was muffled with all of the food in his mouth, pointing a fork at Wilbur, who swallowed before responding.

"Yep! All of the planned ones are open!"

"Perfect. Can we go to the diner afterwards, Phil?"

Phil was drinking some coffee and nodded, "of course, I was planning on going today anyways."

Wilbur whooped, throwing his arms in the air, causing Tommy to flinch at the sudden movement. he was relieved when no one had seen the small and premature movent from him. Wilbur wasn't going to hurt him. Tommy knew that, so why was he flinching so much?

Tommy was the first to finish. So he quickly gathered his dishes and pondered around the kitchen to look for the sink and the sponge and cleaning supplies so he could start washing them. He found everything but was stopped by Phil's voice.

"Just put them in the sink, for now, no need to bother cleaning it."

Tommy just rigidly slid the dishes into the sink softly to not make loud noises. The ceramics settled with a soft 'clink', and Tommy slid back to the table where everyone else was seated.

Small conversations bubbled here and there. Tommy had joined in a couple as he started to find it a little easier to slip some words here and there. That didn't stop him from having to think about every word he said to them. No one got mad at him for any comments he said. He knew which ones to say that wouldn't cause people to get mad at him.

"Now, I want you guys to try and be calmer today than our last trip to the stores," Phil shot an eye to Wilbur and Techno, who both softly nodded, Wilbur, giving a soft chuckle.

"Alright, we can head out in a little bit. I am just going to get ready; you guys should do the same. We will leave in 10 minutes or so."

Everyone nodded and left the table. Wilbur and Techno were racing towards the bathroom, and Phil was going to his room. Tommy really didn't have much to do to get ready. It was too short of a time frame for all three teens to take a shower, and he also didn't have any shampoo or conditioner, and he would never use the other's items. (Even if they said it was ok.) He could take one once everything was situated and he had his toiletries. He could take them and use them when he does get kicked out, whenever that is.

One moment led to another, and Tommy was now in the car's back seat with Techno as Phil and Wilbur sat in the front. The two brothers were glaring at each other. Wilbur with a smirk and Techno with a not so pleased. Wilbur had shouted shotgun as they all were going outside, and Techno barely had the time to react. Though, the pink-haired male did not really mind sitting in the back seat with Tommy.

The drive to the shops was pretty calm for the group. Wilbur was playing random songs with the aux cord. Some Tommy knew and softly hummed along, and others he didn't recognize. Wilbur was jamming out, Phil was mostly smiling at trying to focus on the road, and Techno had earbuds in, listening to his own music that Tommy could barely hear.

Tommy never knew how stressful it could be to shop for himself. He saw everyone shopping while he was outside. They all seemed to be enjoying it, smiling with their friends or family as they cheerfully held bags with endless items. It looked fun, but the smiles lied to Tommy as he looked at the shelves with Phil doing the same.

The two were looking for clothes, and Techno and Wilbur were getting the toiletries and other essential items at the store a few doors down. The four concluded that if they split up, they could get it over with sooner and the sooner they do it, the sooner they could go to this diner that was unknown to Tommy.

"You are going to love it, Tommy; the food there is incredible, and the staff are really friendly; they know us by heart at this point," Wilbur had said with a smile while everyone was in the car, and Tommy believed him.

Tommy had soon eyed a particular rack of shirts. They all were of very similar style, and they came in a few different colours. The price also was pretty low so that Tommy wouldn't bother Phil with the price. Phil saw that Tommy was looking at it, and he turned to Tommy. 

"Do you want some of those? They seem to be very 'you' in a way."

Tommy nodded and eagerly strode over to the rack, picking one of every colour in his size. He turned to Phil with a smile, and the older man nodded.

"Now, let's just get a few clothes for other seasons and some other things, and we can meet back up with Techno and Wilbur."

"M'kay," Tommy responded as he held the clothes and followed Phil around the shop.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Bruh Wil, he doesn't need all this stuff. He's 13," Techno grumbled at Wilbur as the latter was grabbing the shaving cream and razor from the trolley and put them away,

"Right, I think we have everything Phil asked us to get," Wilbur smiled and turned to Techno, who looked at all the items with a silent nod and pushed the trolley to a spot where the two could stop for a moment and wait for the other two to arrive.

"Just texted Phil; he said that they are almost done, so let's wait for a moment," Techno said, putting his phone in his pocket and turned to Wilbur, who nodded with his mouth in a firm line.

"Something wrong?"

Wilbur turned to Techno, "can I ask you something that could cause me to get mad at you?"

Techno eyes washed with confusion, but he leaned against the metal basket under him and nodded slowly.

"Yeah? What's the question?"

Wilbur paused for a moment, a blink of hesitation in his face before he spoke.

"What are your thoughts on Tommy?"

Techno almost puffed out a laugh. Wilbur's voice had an edge of worry to it, and Techno knew where it was coming from.

"I thought we shared thoughts last night, Wil. You really think I don't like him?"

Wilbur paused with shock, but his face moved to a smile, and eventually, a short chuckle emerged.

"I don't know, kinda just had a feeling in my gut that you didn't like him."

"My God, I was right; you are clingy to Tommy."

"You aren't much better, Tech."

"Sup nerds," A voice stopped the two, and they saw Tommy walking up to them. It was clear that he was getting more comfortable with these small insults. The words were being said, but the voice they came from was unsure of its intent.

"Sup gremlin, hopefully, you got some style, every member of this family has class, so that means you must have some sense," Wilbur joked and ruffled Tommy's hair softly to avoid him flinching. Instead of a flinch, Tommy tried to swat at Wilbur's hand aggressively. The four were interrupted by Phil's laughter.

"Alright, children, settle down."

"Phil, they are being children, not me," Techno spoke up, hands back on the trolley to show Phil what they got. Phil looked at all the items and nodded.

"Looks good; let's go around and look for a few other things before we head out since the diner has another 30 minutes before it opens."

The three nodded and walked around the store. They picked out a few more things for Tommy and the other three. As they walked around, though, Tommy kept getting a sense of discomfort, as if there were eyes on him. There would be times when he would discreetly turn his head around to look for this source, but nothing was solving it. He boiled it down to his nerves, just acting up and tried to continue to forget about them for the rest of the time in the store.

Eventually, it was time to check out, and Wilbur and Techno dragged Tommy to the car with them while Phil checked everything out. Tommy had asked if Phil needed help with the bags, but the three assured him that Phil would be ok. Tommy was catching onto the fact that they most likely just didn't want Tommy to see the price of everything combined. It must have been pretty high, and that made Tommy feel bad. They still had to go to the diner, so maybe Tommy would order the meal with the lowest amount of money available.

The three all sat in the car. This time, Techno had just slid into the front seat before Wilbur could even react. Tommy leaned against the car's stiff leather while Wilbur and Techno softly chatted about something that happened at their school before it was burned down.

"How did it get burned down anyway? You would have to be pretty good to damage half of the building," Tommy had asked sometime during the conversation, and the two brothers laughed.

"This kid put popcorn in the microwave on the potato setting. He didn't notice it on fire, and it spread that day," Wilbur explained, "it was a very scary day for everyone. We all were worried about our friends and such since some of us couldn't contact them."

"Wilbur had been spamming me with texts while I was sitting outside," Techno shrugged, "I had fallen asleep in the grass, so I didn't respond, and that just made him worry even more; Phil was so worried, and he didn't let us out of his sights for the rest of the day."

The two laughed at the memory as they heard the sound of the boot opening. They all turned to see Phil putting the bags inside, and Tommy relaxed back into the seat. He barely even noticed himself tense at the sudden and loud noise.

"Sorry that took a while; there was an issue while checking out," Phil slid into the driver's seat and started up the car, a pleasant warmth filling the once cold machine.

"Techno was talking bad about you, Phil," Wilbur said out of nowhere with a hidden smirk to his voice. Techno huffed at the sudden lie.

"Was not!"

"uh-huh, I heard it with my own ears."

"Bruh, stop lying."

"Tommy, back me up here; he said bad stuff about Phil, right?" Wilbur looked at Tommy with eyes of desperation, and Tommy just shrugged.

"I mean, he did say some things..?"

Techno grumbled and crossed his arms, turning away suddenly. Tommy felt terrible, but just as he was going to say something, Phil got to the speaking part first.

"Don't worry, Techno, I believe you."

"See, Phil knows the truth Wil, don't go dragging Tommy into your crimes."

The three burst into a peal of warm laughter; Tommy only had a few light chuckles to add to it. He was more or so worried that Phil would get mad at him for lying, but it never came.

After that, the car ride felt tense to Tommy, but it lightened after everyone was making small jokes to each other. It mostly consisted of Wilbur mocking a young child's voice and crying when they were going to get to the diner. Of course, he wasn't actually crying, but it was spot on enough to prick Tommy with some worry.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Alright, and what do you want to drink?" A young girl, somewhere around the other two teens' age, asked Tommy with a smile.

"What do you have?" Tommy asked softly.

"Pepsi products, lemonade, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, really anything you can think of besides alcohol," She responded while looking to the side to remember from the top of her head. Tommy had perked up when he heard hot chocolate, it was one of his favourite drinks, but he pushed the want down and ordered the free drink.

"I'll just have water then," Tommy said softly, but Wilbur frowned and stopped the waitress from walking away.

"Niki, Tommy will have a hot chocolate."

Niki, the waitress, nodded and walked away, gently scribbling the order down onto the page as she went into the back.

"Thank you, Wilbur," Tommy said softly, and Wilbur smiled warmly.

"The water here doesn't taste good anyway; you also seemed to want the hot chocolate more."

Tommy smiled and waited for the drinks to arrive back. Niki put all of them down on the table and started writing some things down on her pad.

"The usuals?" She asked the three each, and they nodded. She knew the orders as she wrote them down as if they were silently said to her. She eventually turned to Tommy, who was still flipping through the menu for the cheapest item.

"Do you have any favourites, Tommy?" Phil asked, and Tommy shrugged.

"I guess my favourite thing I used to get was chicken and waffles, but that was only specific to a certain place and-"

"We have those here; I actually enjoy them myself, I will write that down, and your orders should be out soon!"

"Thanks, Niki!"

The four waited at the table; Tommy tapped softly against the wood and looked around the place. It was designed with simple decorations. It had a homey feeling to it. The music inside was also soft and not loud enough to disrupt any conversations, but you could listen in and calm down to the soothing tunes. The other three were softly conversing. Tommy wasn't tuned in enough to know what they were speaking about, though, and he didn't have the energy to. He mostly wanted to listen to music and think on his own for a bit.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Tommy wasn't snapped out of his thoughts with the dishes arriving; that would still be a few more minutes. It was that feeling of uneasiness. The belief that something is creeping and only your subconscious know it. You can't figure it out yourself, and that was the problem. Was Tommy is danger, and he just didn't know it yet?

"Something wrong, Tommy?" Techno was the first to notice the male's behaviour, and the question stopped the conversation that he was in.

"Does anyone else feel like they are being watched?" Tommy asked softly, slumping back into his seat.

"Not me," Phil said softly and looked around himself, not seeing anything out of the ordinary or something that would scream 'dangerous' to him. He frowned and watched the other two sons shake their heads, Wilbur shrugging.

"Nope, do you think that you are being watched, Tommy?"

Tommy thought for a moment and gave a shaky shrug. He couldn't tell if it was the feeling that was bothering him. He would say something else, but the food had arrived, and it pushed the remnants of the conversation and worries.

The food was delicious to Tommy, some of the best food he had in a while. The comparison was not much, but it doesn't matter at that point. The worries and anxiety of that feeling of uneasiness were washed away as Tommy ate calmly. The food was gone too soon, and they had left the diner too soon. Tommy was tired after everything they had done that day. It was more eventful than he was used to, and he would have to get used to using this much energy. For now, he just fell asleep in the car.

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"Phil?"

"What's up?"

"Didn't want to say it, but someone was watching us. I could feel it and saw a glimpse of someone watching Tommy."

"Do you know them?"

"No. Looked like a woman."

"We can keep an eye on him; I don't like the sound of that."

"Yeah..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also uh
> 
> sorry I didn't upload all weekend or on Friday, I got sick and I didn't have the energy to get up and work on this, sorry about that


	4. With Eyes Like Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay another chapter with comfort am I right readers?
> 
> Also, I am both American and I live in an area where it never snows, so please correct me if I get terms wrong or if I don't know how snow works

You never know how lovely taking a shower feels after not doing it for a while. Sure, Tommy used baby wipes and some soaps and hand sanitisers whenever he could, but he hadn't taken one in a year for the most part. So he felt like he was in heaven as the warm water hit against his skin. It might have been too warm, but Tommy did not care. He would let the water slightly burn his raw skin.

He used more than enough of the shampoo and conditioner than he needed, but it did get the job done. He spent around 3 minutes just scrubbing himself with the soap. He wanted to feel clean for the first time in a while, and he did.

He turned off the water and got out of the shower, feeling the heat from the steam rest in the bathroom and onto him as well. He dried the water clinging onto him with a warm towel and attempted to look at his face in the mirror that had been fogged up. It was nice feeling clean after a long year of not being able to keep up proper hygiene.

Opening the door and letting cooler air hit his skit, he shivered for a moment before he adjusted. It was early morning; the sun hadn't even gone up when Tommy had awoken. According to Phil, Wilbur and Techno usually slept in, so Tommy woke up early to take a shower to incase he used up all the hot water, and it would have some time to heat up before it's next use.

Phil was working in his office. Tommy was told that Phil is a massive aspect of the company that he works for. Apparently, he is the CEO or manager. Tommy forgot and was too worried to ask to incase he was bothering Phil. Tommy slid downstairs and into the kitchen to look for something to eat. He was first and could literally have whatever breakfast item they had, and no one could stop him. He settled for this thing that looked like a corn dog, but sausage was wrapped in a pancake. Very American thing, apparently.

It was the start of another week, and it was going to be more of a calmer day since Phil would be working all day, and the older teens would most likely be sleeping for half the day. Tommy could hear them messing around very early in the morning, and he was even asked to join, but Tommy was too tired and went back to sleep after they had requested.

The sun was up at this point, and the birds' chirps could be heard here and there. Tommy was _bored._ He usually found his entertainment with Wilbur or Techno, or he would just mess around on the games upstairs or watch TV downstairs. He had figured it would be too loud upstairs for Techno and Wilbur, and he didn't want to bother Phil with the TV playing.

So why not take a short walk? 

You might think that someone who had been outside for a year would rather stay inside when they got the chance to, but Tommy wanted to be back walking in the snow and seeing the trees and such. It wasn't too cold of a day, almost perfect in fact.

He would just have to ask Phil. 

The first day he was there, Phil had explained the rules of the house: try not to get into trouble, do your best and don't give up, respect each other (for the most part), make sure to let someone know when you are leaving the house, and others. It was very lenient, and Tommy liked that. He crept up to Phil's office door and put his ear up to the door to hear if Phil was on a call. There was only typing, so Tommy softly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Phil's cheerful voice gave Tommy access inside, so he softly cracked open the door, and Phil smiled at Tommy.

"Hey, Tommy! Do you need anything?"

"Oh, Um, well, I was wondering if I could go take a walk outside? It's a nice day outside and-"

"Sure, Tommy, just try to be safe and here," Phil handed Tommy his phone after typing in a number into the messaging system, "if you need anything, text this number. It's my work number, and I will get it on my work phone. If anything happens, Techno and Wil's numbers are also on there, and you can text them."

Tommy nodded and softly put the device into his pocket. He smiled warmly at Phil, his insides sighing with relief. Tommy knew that Phil would say yes. He had been with the man for a couple of days, and his senses would tell him that Phil would always make sure everyone he cares about were happy. But, there was a side to Tommy that was still telling him that this is all fake. That the people here are just good actors.

He tried to shake the thoughts off as he waved to Phil and left the office. Tommy made sure to be all bundled up before going outside. The cold air welcomed Tommy as he softly opened the front door and stepped out. He made sure to grab one of the house keys if the door gets locked when he returns.

A light layer of snow rested on the ground as Tommy walked along the pavement. The house was a bit back into a secluded place. There weren't any other houses around for some meters that you couldn't count by foot. Tommy found it pleasant, being out with no neighbours to look at him walking by himself.

Even if they were in a secluded area, you would just have to walk for a few minutes before returning with other people. Houses sat in the streets, and some kids played outside, their tired parents watching them with coffee in their hands. Tommy let a small smile emerged on his lips as he wandered around some more. 

He knew where he was; he wasn't too far from where he would rest during the nights. It would be about 5-10 minutes of walking, and he would be at the iconic tree that he would rest against every night. The pastry shop would then be another 3 minutes of walking. Tommy mumbled how it was a small world and kept walking.

Since the time was more leaning to early morning, not every shop was open, and no one was really crowding around the stores. If you were to look hard enough, you could probably see the movements of people opening inside them. It wasn't the weekend, but it was a holiday break, so the shops would most likely be busy later on.

Tommy looked at a nearby park as he kept walking softly along the earth's crust. He didn't plan to walk to the shops today; it was mostly going to be a calm walk, get some fresh air, and reflect on the past few days. Oh boy, had these few days been something he needed to think about.

There would be some moments when he would be sitting on his bed, his brain still taking time to process that he was in a warm house with kind people. There would be some moments, less frequent than the first day, where he would think that he was being lied to, that the three didn't care about him. His brain would argue with his heart over what was going on. It was mentally draining sometimes to Tommy, and he would try to stride into one of the two brothers' rooms. Not for talking, mostly just to lay on a chair or a beanbag while the others do their thing. 

Most of the time, the two are in there together, chatting amongst themselves. The two would welcome Tommy in with a smile and let Tommy sit where he wants, and let him relax for as long as he wanted to. He trusted them after overhearing a conversation at the store. Wilbur and Techno both claiming to care about him at the time. It made Tommy smile warmly when he heard it, and he knew the two didn't know he was nearby at the time.

A cold wind shuddered against Tommy, bringing him back to the present for a moment. It was a bit colder out than he remembered when he was first outside, but it wasn't too cold to feel uncomfortable.

So why was there a slight edge in him again? It felt similar to the feeling that he experienced a few days back. Was someone watching him? He turned his head around with quick motion, but his eyes didn't focus on anything correlating to the feeling. It was all blank in his head. Tommy frowned and kept a steady pace forward, walking to the more crowded areas to hide the uneasiness inside him. Why would someone be watching him anyway? I mean, there are a bunch of reasons, but none of them could really be pinpointed on the idea board.

People were already starting to mingle in the shop area. Voices strummed conversations with other people, and laughter was there. It felt nice being there alone again, but it also made him feel more alone than he was used to. Now that he had somewhere to go back to, people to return to. It was bittersweet being in the place that he was alone for so long and where he was found. He kept walking, though; the feeling was only dying down a little bit. People surrounded him; if something were to happen to him, they would hopefully help.

Tommy made his way along the pavement, staying a bit closer to groups to try and even pretend that he is apart of them. If any of them stared at him, he would try to say 'being watched .' The groups would either understand and let him ghost there for a moment more, or they would only glare at him and make their distance.

Since he didn't fully know if he was being watched or not, despite using it as an excuse, he would still be looking around him for anything out of the ordinary, nothing. It was starting to make Tommy feel like he was just going crazy. He was trying to shake off the feeling that was pulsing in him. It was the most intense when he was alone on the pavement and a few meters from other people. Tommy bit his lip and walked to the nearest store to just stay there and even request help.

The nearest one was one that Tommy almost laughed at. The irony that it had to be the pastry shop from the last night ~~hopefully~~ he was outside on his own. The bell jingled as Tommy opened the door softly and made sure for it not to slam shut.

A woman with puffy, white hair, not like old white, like a pearly white, looked at Tommy with a warm smile and a wave from behind the counter. There were only a few other people in the store, but they were busy with their own things. Tommy sighed and softly sat at a table with two chairs. The woman from behind the counter was soon right next to the table with a small smile. The nametag reading 'Puffy <3' made its way in Tommy's focus.

"Welcome! Is there anything I can get you?" She asked with a kind voice, but Tommy shook his head, knowing he didn't bring money. It was supposed to be a simple walk, not cowering in a store while waiting for a certain feeling to pass, which it hadn't.

"Sorry, Ms Puffy. I don't have any money; I just am in here because um...I think someone is watching me...I can get out if you want, it's completely understandable and-"

"Nonsense, you can stay here. Don't worry about buying anything. You said someone was watching you?" Puffy asked with a face of concern.

Tommy looked out the window in the front of the store. The feeling was gone for the moment, a sense of calmness, but the anxiety caused by the uneasy feeling was still there.

"I think? I felt like I was being watched until I walked into here. Maybe it was just me, but it still freaked me out." 

Puffy thought for a moment.

"Have you had this feeling before when being out in public?"

Tommy thought for a moment. The only times he could pinpoint the feeling was the days before when he was with the family and those few times when he would catch gazes from people on the pavements.

"Not normally, just a few days ago and a couple when I was out on the streets-"

Puffy looked lost for a moment before leaning into looking more at Tommy's face. She paused afterwards, and Tommy could tell her face was full of sadness but a little bit of triumph.

"You're that kid that sits on the bench most nights alone, right?"

"You know me?"

Puffy sighed sadly, "Yeah, I see you out there a lot. Many customers point out to me that you are there. I've always felt so bad because I can't help you, and when I can, you are gone. Are you ok? Do you need somewhere to stay? I always see you out there at night, and I always wondered if you needed a home and-"

"Oh, well.." Tommy started; he didn't even know that other people noticed him out there; it made him feel a bit better about the past, "no, I have somewhere to stay now. It's all good."

Puffy sighed in relief, "ok, if you need somewhere, please come here. I am more than willing to help someone like you."

"What if the store is locked?" Tommy asked softly, and Puffy nodded, understanding the question.

"There's a little lockbox on the doorknob with a keypad. If you put in the code _____, then it opens the door. You can stay here until I return in the morning. The door locks behind after that so that no one can follow you inside. Please use that if you need to."

"Oh, are you sure?"

Puffy nodded, "yeah, consider this place as a safe spot. I always want to help people in need. You haven't been able to have help for a while, so I want to start now. Especially with this person watching you. Do you have anyone you can contact right now?"

Tommy remembered the phone in his pocket. He nodded to Puffy and pulled out his phone, seeing that Phil had messaged him. Tommy clicked on them with a small pin of anxiety inside him.

_Just letting you know, I'm getting on a work call that might last a while, so if you need something, try to text Wilbur or Techno until I message back_

He hadn't messaged back yet, so he was most likely still on the call, so Tommy scrolled through Phil's contacts before seeing Wilbur's. He could have just texted the older one, but he had pressed the call button, holding the phone up to his ear. He waited as the ringing pulsed for a moment before the sound of connecting and a tired voice filled Tommy's ears.

_"...Hello. This is Tommy, right?"_

Tommy mumbled into the phone, "how did you know?"

_"Phil told me that you had his phone and might text or call Tech or me if something happened. Is something wrong?'_

"Can you come pick me up...from the pastry shop where you found me..?"

Tommy heard shuffling and a deep voice, probably Techno's, saying something and Wilbur responding with something Tommy couldn't hear.

 _'Tech and I are heading out now. How'd you managed to get that far out? Are you ok?'_ Wilbur returned, voice with concern similar to Puffy's, who had rushed for a moment to take the order of someone else.

"Walked. I'm ok, I think. Someone was probably watching me, so I walked into a more busy area, and I went inside the shop because I thought I could get help."

_'Ok, we will be there in about 5 minutes. You can hold out for that long, right?'_

"Yeah, sorry I had to bother you and Techno.."

 _'Tommy, I rather you call us when you are in some sort of danger, or even if you are just worried about something than have you suffer in silence.'_ This was Techno's voice now since the two seemed to be in the car, and Wilbur must have been driving.

"Oh...Ok, thanks, Tech- Techno,"

_'Of course, Tommy, you can call me Tech if you want.'_

"Didn't call you that"

_'Uh-huh'_

The call hung up, and Tommy set the phone back into his pocket. Puffy had returned, waiting for the conversation to be over.

"Did you get someone to come and pick you up?" She had asked Tommy, who looked to her and nodded. She smiled. 

"Good, I need to get back to orders. It was nice meeting you...uh..."

"Tommy," Tommy spoke, and Puffy smiled with a single nod.

"Nice meeting you, Tommy."

"Nice meeting you too."

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Wilbur sighed as he gripped the steering wheel. He had driven there before, but he usually forgot his way here wany here and there, and he would need his brother to help give directions. Worry was bubbling up in his chest, and he knew Techno noticed it.

"It's only been 3 minutes, and he is also in Puffy's shop; she wouldn't let anything happen to him. Tommy is fine," Techno said as he looked at his phone, he had sent a message to Phil to tell him why the two sons had just left the house suddenly. Phil was worried himself, stating that he should have known that Tommy would walk farther than the neighbourhood. Techno was trying to assure Phil that Tommy would be safe, and they were almost there.

"Te-"

"Left."

"Thank you."

Eventually, they had pulled into the small lot and had gotten out of the car. Both were quicker with their pace as they wanted to make sure that Tommy was, without a doubt, ok. Wilbur was almost running, and Techno was at a speed walk.

Relief washed down on them when they entered Puffy's store and saw Tommy at a table, just looking around until he met eyes with the two and sat up, walking up to them. Once filled with worry, his face was now back to its resting expression; even a small smile was tugging at the lips.

"Hey, gremlin," Techno softly said with his hands in his pockets, "you ready to go home? Phil is getting worried."

Tommy's expression blossomed a pin of confusion before it retreated to a nod and a calm face. He nodded and waved to Puffy, who smiled at Techno and Wilbur with a nod. The three left after that; all their anxiety's dissolving now that they were together.

As they all got into the car, Tommy sat down and mumbled an apology.

"Sorry, you guys had to come out here to get me over a stupid feeling."

Wilbur sighed, "there's no reason to apologise as they say, better safe than sorry. I don't think any of us would be able to forgive ourselves if anything happened to you."

Tommy shifted in the back seat, Techno raising an eyebrow at that.

"You good?"

"Jus' confused."

"About?"

"I mean, you have only known me for a few days, yet you all are already acting like you care so much about someone like me."

Wilbur breathed, "I get where the confusion is coming from. We three were all in the same position as you. Confused when Phil was so kind to us when we thought we did something wrong. He would grow attached to us in a moment, and I guess that rubbed off on us."

Techno nodded to the statement, it all being genuine. It took him a few months before he was entirely comfortable with being in the house. Coming from people who would abuse you and treat you like absolute shit, Phil was completely a different person. It takes a while to trust that, but it is worth it.

Tommy paused for a moment, a low chuckle coming from him. It sounded sad coming from the child who was starting to become louder around the other three.

"Thank you."

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"I'm so glad that you are ok Tommy, I'm sorry you had to go through that all alone. I'm happy Techno and Wil were able to get to you quickly," Phil smiled when Tommy was leaving his office with a smile on his own face.

"I'm happy too; now I gotta go beat their asses at Mario Kart!" Tommy exclaimed with a laugh that just sounded like him before rushing up the stairs.

Phil sighed and leaned back in his seat. He knew he shouldn't have sent Tommy out only a few days after Techno mentioned someone watching them, _Tommy_ specifically. He thought Tommy wouldn't have gone too far, but apparently, he walked to that area because he was being watched and wanted to be in a more busy area. It was a smart move for someone his age.

Phil worried about how this has now happened twice. He had no idea who could be watching Tommy. It was apparently a woman, but that didn't make things any better for the thoughts on who it is. The only thing Phil knew was that he wouldn't let this person lay a hand on Tommy, not without Phil stepping in. He cared about Tommy too much now. Tommy completed the family. 

He could hear the cheers and shouting from upstairs faintly. He laughed at the three teens having fun. Phil was worried that Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy wouldn't get along together. Thankfully, they all were able to get along. An average person might think that yelling at once may not be getting along with them, but Phil classified it as brotherly yelling. The three were always careful with what they were saying not to hurt each other, so you knew they cared.

He knew it wasn't going to be an easy time to get Tommy to trust him. Phil has already done this before. Kids that get hurt by their parents, and then they are sent to the foster system for one reason or another; then those parents treat them like shit, and then the kid either runs away or gets kicked out. It was the same scenario for Wilbur and Techno, both being found almost a year apart. Wilbur took a couple of weeks to warm up to Phil, and Techno took nearly a year before he seemed entirely comfortable. Tommy seemed to be getting into it, but he would still jump when a sound was too loud, or he would apologise when he thinks he did something wrong.

It would take time, Phil knows this, but he also knew that the best people surrounded Tommy for the timely process. Both brothers were already close to Tommy. Phil knew that by how they acted, Tommy could go to them if he was unsure. Phil preferred Tommy to go to him, but he knew trust for an adult figure would not come straight away.

Phil looked out the window and at the dark clouds approaching. It seemed like it was going to storm the next day, according to the forecast. It also was going to be a big storm. Phil smiled at the thought of them having a family night that night while the storm would rage through the land. It usually eases the worry of any weather storm in the group, so it's almost like a tradition.

Phil smiled for the days where it would get better and for the soon, happy family they will give for Tommy. It's all going to go well from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and then I lied


	5. I feel Real Warmth In This Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fluffy chapter out because you can never have too much of it

"It's cold as hell outside!" Tommy exclaimed as he shut the window in his room, locking it to ensure extra security. The sky was so dark that it almost looked like nighttime when the time was actually morning, closer to the afternoon. Techno laughed as he walked into Tommy's room, throwing the younger one a blanket.

"Yeah, Phil said last night that there was going to be a huge storm tonight, and it naturally is going it be cold as hell all day."

"Which meaaans," Wilbur started with a smile as Tommy and Techno left the former's room, "family day all day!"

Tommy rolled his eyes, "doesn't big man Phil have work today?"

"Nope!" Phil emerged from the upstairs couch, wearing pyjamas like the other three, "storm started at the building earlier and cut it's power out. I'm on break for today besides just looking at emails!"

Tommy smiled internally. A day for them to just hang out at the house sounded nice. It would be a day filled with games and movies. Phil had called it a family day, considering Tommy to be apart of the family. Sure, there were still doubts there stating he was apart of the family, but it still felt real. He was brought back to the moment with someone ruffling his hair. Tommy blinked and saw Techno standing above him with a smirk. Tommy pouted.

"We are going downstairs to watch a movie. Let's hurry up," Techno smiled at Tommy before brushing down the stairs. Tommy shot down them and arrived at the couch before Techno even touched the bottom of the stairway.

"Someone's eager," Wilbur snorted as he set down two bags of crisps and poured some soda into a cup.

"Well, Phil said the next time we did one of these, we were going to have a Disney marathon! Of course, I would be excited!" Tommy exclaimed as he grabbed a Coca-Cola from the fridge for himself. Today was going to be a day filled with only fun and easy times, and boy was Tommy excited for that.

Everyone eventually got settled on the couch, the order went: Phil, Techno, Tommy, Wilbur. All four were wrapped up in warm and comforting blankets as the first movie started to play.

You could assume that Tommy would be loud during movies. He seemed like the child to repeatedly talk during a film and annoy the hell out of everyone else. But, you would be wrong with that assumption. Tommy watched the movie (Up at the time) with wonder and joy in his eyes, or sadness when the tone would change. In the moments when it would be too tense for the young teen to handle, he would try to avert his gaze elsewhere. He would look to Wilbur, who would return a soft smile and wrap an arm around Tommy, who would relax into the feeling.

The movie went on, and it was a calm peace for the story progressing on the screen. A joke made all four burst into collective laughter. Tommy liked this moment. He enjoyed sitting on the couch with a multitude of snacks and soda with the other three. He knew that moment that all of the times he was slashed, burned, struck, yelled at, all the bad things that have happened to him, it was all worth it to be there.

Tommy knew that the thoughts and memories of being alone, the fear of walking those streets by himself, will still be there. He also knew that he would be able to find peace with them. It is his past and his anxiety that pulls and stretches into his personality. 

The next movie started, Ratatouille. Tommy liked it a bit more than Up. He liked the dynamic between Remi and Linguini. The music and colours popped out to him, and he enjoyed every moment of it, only feeling upset and tense when the movie would sever the dynamic and friendship. He hoped that he would never have to leave his new _family_.

Out of all of the princess movies, Tommy found a liking to Tangled. It had the most exciting story, and the conflict made Tommy think for a bit about it. (He also liked how Rapunzel had a frying pan.) Tommy did try his best to not show that he enjoyed the movie to no small extent, afraid that one of the older brothers would make fun of him for enjoying a princess movie. Sadly, he couldn't resist singing 'I've got a Dream,' but he did hear Wilbur singing along to it as well, so he could use that as a retort for any future comments.

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It was now early evening; they had finished three Disney movies and planned to start another one. You could tell that there was a hint of boredom in the group. Sure, watching movies together was fun, but it gets boring sitting for hours and only moving when someone had to use the restroom or when the movie was over, and they would stretch for a minute before going back to sitting.

"Ah, I love myself some good Disney movies," Phil said softly as he sat up to stretch and went into the kitchen to get some more water. Techno also sat up, but it was just to test his stiff and tired limbs. He mumbled to himself.

"I'm sure I fell asleep for at least half of that last one. Marathons are not my strong suit."

Wilbur gave a soft chuckle, leaning back into the couch, "we usually spend a full week to finish a marathon because you can't sit still for at least 5 hours while Phil and I could sit on this couch for hours."

"Sitting down for a while is hard, though," Tommy shrugged, and Techno nodded, "my body likes to move a lot, so I'm more with Techno on this one."

"See Wilbur, Tommy gets me," Techno gave Tommy a soft fist bump with a smile.

Phil eventually returned from the kitchen, new water cup in hand, and set it down on the glass table with a soft breath before turning to the three.

"Well, why don't we take that pent up energy out and play some games!"

"I'll get my rematch for Techno winning monopoly," Wilbur shot up, shooting a glare at Techno, who smirked back.

"Please, you can't even get on the same level as me."

"I reckon that I am going to win this." Tommy shrugged with confidence that it wasn't too loud to start the bickering that would ensure from the three. Well, all four in the house were very competitive when it comes to playing games of all sorts. Everyone could argue that Wilbur was the most competitive, and Tommy and Techno were tied second to the former. Phil was the least competitive, but it was still there.

"What game should we play first? I say Tommy picks first because he was the one with the least amount of money at the end of our monopoly game," Techno suggested, receiving a light punch from Tommy. The latter grunted a low apology of regret afterwards.

"I say we play Uno. I have always been the best at that game," Tommy cheered about himself, earning Wilbur rolling his eyes at Tommy.

"I bet you cheat at that game."

"Do not, you bitch boy, I bet you cheat at every game you play!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if Techno cheats," Phil started, pulling out the deck of familiar Uno cards and shuffling them in his hands and the other three crowded around in a circle near the table where they would play games here and there.

A flash of light filled the air, followed by a crack of thunder ripped through the air, and everyone jumped at the sudden sound. The storm was starting, and you could hear the howling winds crying and light snow falling. The house creaked with the wind as Phil finished dealing the cards.

"Didn't expect it to be this bad already. Wonder if the power is going to go out like last time."

Techno shrugged as he grabbed his pile of cards, the others doing so afterwards. Tommy smirked at the cards. You could tell that he had a good hand.

"When I win, I am going to choose Go Fish," he said with a smirk, the others looking at their cards. Their hands were all decent, nothing that was game-changing, but they could win with it if they played well enough.

The game was going well. For the most part, Phil got the shorthand of the stick as he was drawing the most cards, grumbling softly when he didn't have a red 4. Techno would laugh every time someone had to draw.

"Are you sure you do not have red _or_ a four," Techno resisted a laugh from his mouth and looked at Phil, who gave a soft glare.

"Techno, for the last time, I don't have either!" Phil playfully grumbled at Techno before drawing one more card, and with a smirk, place down a draw four.

Techno shrugged and placed down another draw four, making it draw 8 directed at Tommy, who gave an even bigger smirk and place a third draw four, causing it to be 12. The three turned to Wilbur, and Phil looked the antsiest. Anyone would not want to draw 16 cards, but he might have to. The chances are meagre, though. Wilbur looked at Phil for a moment before placing down a draw two, the three giving all loud laughter.

"I hate you all," Wilbur grumbled as he drew all the cards, "Tommy, what colour are you making it?"

"Yellow."

"...I drew all of those cards, and I didn't get a single yellow, you little bitch."

Tommy laughed some more, and the game continued. It was mostly calm moments for the rest of it. It was a tense ending, Phil and Tommy both getting down to one card. Wilbur had just changed the colour to blue, and everyone wondered if that so happened to be the 1 and 4 chance that it was Phil's colour.

Turns out it was.

Phil won the game with one final card place, and all four collectively gave a sigh of relaxation. The game had lasted a while due to all the cards everyone had to draw, and Uno is just mentally exhausting when everyone playing is just that competitive.

"Well, I say I have time for one more game before I think we call it for the night. Since I won-"

"I swear if we are doing something stupid like slapjack-" Techno started but was cut off by Phil shaking his head.

"No, I want to play BS."

Wilbur and Techno's eyes brightened up as the former raced upstairs to grab the deck of cards. Tommy looked to Phil and Techno with confusion, wondering what this game they were speaking about was.

"What's BS?"

"Well," Phil started as Wilbur returned with the deck of cards and a beaming smile, "BS is a card game where we would divide the deck evenly amongst ourselves until it is all gone into our hands. We start off with one person, and they would see if they have an ace. If they do, they take many aces they have and place them in the middle without showing us and say how many cards they are putting down. For example, if I have 2 aces, I would place them down and say 2 aces. We then count up until we go back to aces. If you don't have that card, then you would still place down cards and pretend you do-"

"And if you think someone is lying, you can call their BS and see if they were lying or not. If you are right, they get all the cards in a pile. If they were telling the truth, you take all the cards."

Tommy shrugged, "sounds simple enough."

"Those two get too into it to the point that it scares me," Phil chuckled as he sat down and let Wilbur start passing out all the cards to everyone. Tommy paid more attention to the snow and wind singing outside. It was a bit scary how loud it was, but Techno put a hand on Tommy's shoulder, and Tommy gave a smile to silently explain that he was there.

"Alright," Wilbur cracked his knuckles and then sat down, "Phil can start because he won."

Phil rolled his eyes and looked at his cards, placing one down.

"One Ace."

Techno nodded and placed two cards down.

"Two two's"

Wilbur softly placed one card down.

"One three."

Tommy looked at his hand and noticed 3 fours, so he grabbed all three and slid them on top of the pile with a smile.

"Three fours."

Phil hesitated for a moment, but since the other two surrounding the table didn't seem to react in any way, so he placed one card down.

"One five."

"BS," Techno said almost immediately, and Phil sighed, flipping the card to show a seven there instead of a five. Wilbur snorted, and Tommy laughed at Phil. Techno placed his cards down.

"Two fives."

"One six."

Tommy looked at his cards, and he did not have a seven, so he placed an eight down."

"One seven gentleman."

Wilbur shot up instantly, "BS."

Tommy cursed at the male before picking up the four cards. At least it wasn't as bad as Phil, who could barely see all of the cards spread out in his hands. They continue the game for a little longer. Techno and Wilbur definitely had the upper hand in the situation and could detect the lies with almost perfection. There were a few slip-ups, but they were overall perfect every time to the point where it almost scared Tommy. Phil seemed unphased by it, so it must have been common in the family.

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It had been about 30 minutes, and the game still hadn't ended yet. All cards were almost split even again, and this was annoying Tommy. He placed a card down and put the number before grumbling another comment.

"How long do these games usually last?"

Phil shrugged, "this is one of the shorter ones so far. I think the longest we have gone is 2 hours of playing. Tech and Wil are really good at this game, so they last longer. Oh, and one four."

"Yeah, that game was too long for comfort. Two fives," Techno replied with two cards into the pile.

"One six. It's a fun game, though, so that makes up for it," Wilbur shrugged.

They went back to only repeating the cards or BS for what felt like 10 minutes before Techno placed his final four cards down.

"Four queens."

"Nuh-Uh," Tommy started, "that is a load of-"

Techno flashed the four cards. They were, in fact, all queens.

"I stand corrected by the little bitch boy."

Techno stretched his arms and made a soft noise, "well, I win again. No surprise there, though."

Phil smiled and gave his kind chuckle, "good job Techno."

A crack of thunder and the house blinked for a moment. The lights shut off for a moment before turning back on. Phil frowned and sat up.

"That was probably the lightning landing nearby. The storm might go all night. Hopefully, it isn't too loud and disturbs us."

"Eh, Wil and I will be up for most of the night. Wil bought me this stupid game about getting certain characters and letting them into an apartment and stuff. Looks ridiculous, but I want to play it."

"Hey, Tomodachi Life is a cute game, don't call it ridiculous," Wilbur shook his head with a frown that could only be playful. Phil just shook his head at the two and picked up the cards, and stacked them up neatly.

"We can pick these cards up tomorrow if you all really want to. I'm tired myself, so I might try to sleep early before the storm gets too loud."

"Like an old man," Wilbur smirked, and Phil rolled his eyes, grabbing the pillow and blanket from the couch.

"Let me know if you guys need anything. And absolutely no going outside until the storm dies down. Do whatever you want in here, but please do not go outside. Way too dangerous for that."

"We know Phil, we aren't stupid," Tommy rolled his eyes. Plus, he had been in a storm before, and it wasn't pretty. It was one of the worst nights of his life, and there are a few contenders for that spot. Going out in the middle of a storm that was this bad is never a good idea. Tommy didn't want to see Wilbur or Techno in that situation, and he had no plans on doing it himself.

"I mean, Wilbur is pretty dumb in the common sense department, so I will look over him."

Wilbur huffed but didn't retort back. Phil sighed.

"You guys are going to be the cause of my death one day, goodnight boys."

He didn't say anything else as he headed upstairs. The three downstairs also grabbed their blankets and pillows, and other items and dumped them into their respective rooms.

"So, what are you two going to do?" Tommy asked Techno and Wilbur, who pointed to the upstairs couch.

"Probably play some Mario Kart until either the power cuts out, or we just get bored of it. You gonna join tonight?"

"Sure," Tommy nodded, "why the hell not."

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About 30 minutes later, a flash of light appeared at the window, followed by thunder a second later, and the TV turned off. It was just at the end of a race as well. Tommy was about to receive first on Rainbow Road, so he was pretty peeved. He strung curses together into a pillow, so Phil didn't wake up, and the three sat in the dark. Techno sighed and threw his controller onto the wooden stand.

"Getting late anyway. Powers went out, so we might as well start mingling into our rooms. Good night, might see one of you later or so. I don't know, nor do I really care."

Tommy put his controller onto the stand carefully to not make any unnecessary noise. Wilbur just chucked it and hoped it landed in the right area. It was close enough.

"I'm going to go read," Tommy shrugged. He had a torch that should have enough batteries to last the night. Wilbur's face could barely be seen, but it had some shock weaved into it.

"Tommy? Reading? For fun? Never would think the day would come."

"Oi bitch, fantasy and mystery books are cool as shit," Tommy retorted, and Techno agreed to it.

"Mystery is the shit."

Wilbur shook his head, "you two are weird."

"Takes one to know one, goodnight Wilbur," Tommy winked, but it wasn't seen to the lack of light, and he slid into his room. He first looked for the torch that he knew he had. It was hard to see due to the lack of moonlight, but his eyes adjusted to the darkness reasonably well, and he just shuffled around until he felt it on a wooden bedside table. He clicked the button, and it's bright light lit up the room. Tommy smiled and used the torch to look for the book he planned on reading.

The book was for relatively younger audiences, but it was still good. It followed a girl who got a nasty concussion and was sent to a facility and a few other people. This facility tells everyone that they will be able to help people with those painful concussions. The protagonist arrives there, and everything seems perfect for the first few days. 

After a few moments, though, she realizes something is going on behind the scenes, and she tries to investigate it with everyone else, who also are starting to realize that they are in danger.

That's how far Tommy is in the story, and he is captivated by its words, and he wanted to know what happens next. He jumped into his bed, pulled the torch and book near up, and opened the part where he left off and started reading. He told himself he looked like one of those young kids in a movie or something. He didn't care really, no one was going to see him anyway, so they can't make fun of him.

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An hour or so later, and the torch went black. Tommy sighed. It happened here and there because it was old and the quality was shit, so he shook it for a moment. There was nothing, so he hit bottom, still nothing. He tried both things for about a minute, but he knew that the batteries were dead. He just didn't want to get up off his warm and comfortable bed. A lightning strike from outside also confirmed it was still storming out, but it seems to have died down for the moment as there was barely any snow falling or loud winds.

Tommy was now sitting up, looking at the door that exits his room. He left off on a really good part, and he was desperate to see what happens next, but that means going downstairs to Phil's office and taking some batteries out of one of the drawers.

Did he want to do that? Tommy wasn't allowed to creep around at his old house. That was a huge no-no. He would get into so much trouble for doing so, and the thought scared him. Tommy would never leave his room if it was past 10pm, even if Techno or Wilbur offered him to join them. His mind would trace back to the nights where he was found eating an apple deep in the kitchen and how he would either not eat for two days afterwards or how he got hurt. He knew Pil wouldn't lay a hand on him, he had messed up so many times near Phil, and the man only reacted with kindness and patience. Phil wasn't like his parents; Phil wouldn't toss him to the streets. Tommy was firm on those thoughts for the first time in a while; he _knew_ Phil would never throw him out if he ever got tired of him. Phil might put him into foster care because he thinks it's a good idea, but he would never abandon a child in the middle of nowhere.

Tommy tossed back the thoughts of doubt and fear, walked up to his door, and softly flew it open. It creaked and made Tommy tense for a moment before he continued ahead into the dark house. He walked past all of the bedrooms swiftly and gently stepped down the stairs. Tommy knew where the office was from that point and made his way there. His mind rested that Phil would be ok with him taking some batteries for a torch and would not get mad at him.

Getting the batteries was one problem, though. There were many desk drawers, and those could be loud if he opened them all up and rummages through them all. Tommy sighed and looked around. It was a bit more difficult due to the room's darkness, and there was no light to really assist.

"Like a damn horror movie," Tommy mumbled to himself as he looked through the first drawer. It was just pens and pencils that rested in that particular one. Frowning, Tommy opened the next drawer. Just junk rested inside of it. Tommy laughed at how Phil may seem organized, but the junk in the drawers and how many papers rested on his main desk said otherwise. 

After 5 drawers later, he found some batteries, and he slid them into the torch; pressing the button made it known that the batteries worked. Tommy tossed the batteries that were dead into the nearby rubbish bin, closed all of the drawers that he opened, and left the room, putting a mental note inside him to tell Phil that he took two batteries from the drawer.

Going back up the stairs, he heard some noises coming from Techno's room. Wilbur and Techno must have been awake. They were most likely talking about random things since the power was out, and they couldn't play anything unless it was physical.

Tommy walked near Techno's door and listened in, wondering if he should annoy them.

 _"I don't want him to be apart of the family. He's annoying._ Wilburs voice spoke through the door, landing onto Tommy's heart, and it felt so heavy.

 _"Hey, you are the one that said it was a good idea to take the child-"_ Techno's tired voice also landed and dropped Tommy's heart. What were they talking about? Were they talking about him?

Tommy stepped away from the door. The air around him felt like it was around his neck and suffocating him. He couldn't speak, couldn't make a noise, hell, he could barely _breathe_ the shock was that bad. He could hear voices from inside, but his brain was blocking the words out. It could hurt him more and more, and the damage had already been done.

Tommy didn't want to live with plastic hope. He didn't want to annoy them. He thought that they cared about him though, it was so good for so long. He _knew_ he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. He shouldn't have eased into this. Because Tommy thinks that being lied to with fake love is worse than just being abandoned. 

He knew that he would only be in more pain if he stayed there. His head raced, his legs raced, his eyes raced as he entered his room and flung his backpack onto his bed. Items rested in there, things that he always had in there. Tommy wasted no beat as he threw some items he knew he needed for being out on his own. Clothes to keep him warm was the main one. He had his torch, and he grabbed his small, plastic bag with some money in there that he has collected. Tears pooled in his ducts, but he refused to let them come out. 

Tommy eventually got everything he needed and looked at his window. There was a wall that Tommy could climb down. He would rather risk it instead of storming out the front door. He slid open the window, the cold air instantly bit at him, but he recovered from the sudden cold and threw himself to the wall. It didn't hurt; the adrenaline was pouring into him as he climbed down the wall, and he ran into the night. He ran until his legs got tired. Even when his legs got tired, he still ran more and more. Tommy ran into town, where all store lights were off because the storm was raging again. He swerved into the nature area. He ran more and more. Tommy had reached a hill that was all too familiar to him, and he stood there, looking at the white grass under him. He didn't know if it was himself, the wind or another being altogether, but out of nowhere, he blinked, and then he was pushed off the hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> Remember when the tags said 'major angst'


	6. What's Colder? Your Lies or The Storm?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How yall feeling after that previous ending?

"I don't want him to be apart of the family. He's annoying," Wilbur pouted as he stared at the tiny child on his DS screen. He was playing Tomodachi Life with Technoblade because both could not sleep, and it was really the only game they could play since the power was still out.

"Hey, you are the one that said it was a good idea to take the child, don't go complaining to me because of choice I _told_ you to avoid," Techno rolled his eyes as a crack of thunder shook the house again.

"Seems like the storm is going again," Wilbur didn't even look up from his DS as Techno looked out the window, looking at the snow.

"Yeah, wonder if it is going to go into the next day."

"Nah," Wilbur shrugged, "Phil said that it would be over by morning. That's what the forecast says anyway."

Techno nodded and leaned back against the beanbag next to Wilburs. He was still looking out the window, and something inside of him made him frown. A knot in his stomach had started to form.

Wilbur had put the handheld console down at one point and turned to Techno and saw the ghost of a troubled expression on his brothers face. Wilbur scooted closer to Techno and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Something up?"

"Dunno' I just have this feeling," Techno responded with a sigh, and Wilbur gave a small smile in return.

"You have those feelings all the time, Tech. What is different about this one?"

Techno pondered for a moment before he shot up, and Wilbur jumped back at the sudden movement. Concern was now on his face.

"Woah, woah, woah. What's wrong?"

"I need to check on Tommy. Something is telling me that there's something wrong with him."

Wilbur looked at Techno with a frown. Something wrong with Tommy? That was hard to believe. The two had seen him enter his room an hour or so ago. How could something bad happen in an hour?

"Oh, uh, okay."

Wilbur watches Techno shot out of his room and walked down the hall. The knot in Techno's stomach worsened with every step. Wilbur had poked his head into the hallway and watched his brother open the door softly.

Techno could hear the winds and feel the cold air in Tommy's room before he even opened the door. But it sure as hell felt freezing once he opened the door and saw the scene. Techno almost hitched a breath as he scanned the room. He started mumbling 'no' softly under his breath, and Wilbur shot into the area.

"Techno? What the hell is going on?"

Techno cursed, threw himself back into his room, grabbed two coats, and got his shoes on. Wilbur wasn't getting any answers, but he knew that something was wrong. He managed to grab Techno by the shoulders and was able to get answers.

"Techno."

"Wil, I need you to stay here. Tommy ran off and-"

"Tommy ran away?!"

Techno flung a hand to Wilbur's mouth to shut the other up and cursed.

"Yes, he did. I don't know why the hell he would do something like this, but he did. I need you to stay here and-"

"So you are going out there, in a _blizzard?_ "

Techno nodded and knotted his sneakers, and zipped up the warmest coat he had.

"And I am staying here?"

"Wil, you are the least active one here. Plus, if Phil wakes up and all three in his house are gone, he will freak the hell out. I need you to stay here and reassure him until I can find Tommy and get him back."

Wilbur nodded slowly. He wanted to be able to be running out there for Tommy. He wanted to question why Tommy had run, but he knew Techno didn't have an answer for that. He watched as Techno flew down the stairs and went to open the door.

"Please, Techno, bring him back safe. Bring yourself back."

Techno smiled at Wilbur and opened the door, disappearing into the storm. Leaving Wilbur in the dark and soundless house by himself. He was not going to wake up Phil for something like this. He couldn't have him freaking out already. Techno would figure everything out.

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Techno could barely feel the cold over how fast his body was moving. His lungs were burning with fire, and his body was trying to fight the cold of the strong winds hitting against him. How could Tommy be so stupid and run at a time like this? Techno huffed and kept running.

There were small holes in the ground that could be footprints if you focused on them enough, and Techno followed them for as long as he could. He prayed to himself that they were Tommy's.

"D-damn it, Tommy, how far did you run?" Techno breathed in the sharp air as he kept running. It was so dark out, and the snow made it harder to see and harder to move.

He could tell he was going in the direction of the shops. He hoped that he could find Tommy there. Why did it have to be tonight of all nights? Where everything was loud.

He reached an area where there weren't many shops nearby. It was a small park area. Techno recognized it as an area he used to go to with Wilbur. It had trees lining around a small hill. It wasn't too steep, but you could get mildly injured if you were to be pushed off of it.

So you could guess that his heart stopped when he saw two silhouettes on the hill, one pushing the other down. And with a few more steps forward, the shape that was pushed down looked softly like Tommy. The one that pushed had seen Techno approach and ran off before he could chase her.

Techno averted his attention to the body at the bottom of the hill. He rushed down, almost slipping on the snow as he ran down, shaking who was at the bottom.

_It was Tommy_

"Tommy?! Tommy, please, Tommy!" Techno pleaded over the harsh winds and snow. Tommy wasn't waking up but was breathing, which caused at least some relief to rush down Techno's body.

More seemed to rush in when he heard Tommy start to stir. Grumbling and wincing in pain, his eyes softly fluttered opened and were trying to focus on Technos.

"Tech-Techno?" The voice came off as tired and raspy. It was soft and similar to when he was first found outside.

"Tommy, what the hell are you doing out here?"

Tommy didn't say anything and pushed himself away from the other. Techno could barely make out the red and tear-stained face that Tommy was wearing from the streetlights.

"Tommy-?"

"Why are you out here?" He made out with a whimper. Techno was confused, he tried getting closer, but when Tommy retreated again, he stayed where he was.

"Tommy, why are _you_ here?"

Tommy scoffed, hate darkening his face.

"Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!" Techno cried out to the teen.

"You guys don't want me! I am annoying and stupid, and...and..."

"What are you talking about?! Tommy, we need to go back! It's freezing out here!"

"Why would I go back with you if you guys hate me!"

Techno was so confused. Sure, Tommy had his doubts, but when he had those thoughts, he would just go to Wilbur and Techno, and they would reassure him.

"What are you talking about?! When did we say we hated you!"

"Earlier, you and Wilbur were saying how you didn't want me a part of the family! Wilbur said how annoying I was and-"

The realization ran colder than the snow landing on Techno. Tommy had heard the two playing the game out of context, which caused him to run off.

"Tommy-" Techno started, "Tommy- No, we weren't talking about you!"

A bitter laugh emerged from the shivering boy, "th-then who h-huh? Wh-who else has the ch-ch-chance to be apart of the f-f-family?!"

"Jesus Christ, Tommy, me and Wilbur were _playing a game_."

"D-D-Don't lie, the p-p-power is out at the house; how can you play?"

"Tommy, the game is for the DS."

Tommy didn't have a rebuttal for that. His glare even softened, and his body seemed less on defence than before. Techno used this moment to step closer and even managed to drape the warmest coat he could grab earlier onto Tommy. Tommy only flinched and looked away, but he didn't move away. Techno then hugged Tommy as tightly as he could, taking note of how cold he was.

"You are such an idiot Tommy," Techno could feel tears biting at him, and the cold air might as well freeze them. 

Tommy chocked on a sob and hugged back tightly. He was shaking beyond belief, and the coat only helped a little bit. Tommy clutched to Techno like he would leave him forever and cried.

"I'm right here...I'm not going anywhere, but we need to get to someplace warmer, Tommy. You are going to get hypothermia if you stay out here with those layers on."

"A-all, the shops are closed. Wh-where can we go?"

Techno thought for a moment. It was too risky to walk to the house in the weather, and the chance of Tommy getting hypothermia increasing more and more. Also, being out in the open made Techno remember the person he saw before he rushed to Tommy.

"Did you see who pushed you?"

"S-S-Someone p-pushed me?"

"Nevermind. Are you hurt?"

Tommy paused for a moment and nodded sheepishly, "my ankle. I think I tried to break my fall with it earlier, and it hurts really bad. It hurts to walk."

"I can carry you. I've done it before."

"Mmm..y-y-yeah."

Techno managed to get Tommy on his back and stood up. The storm's winds were softening, and Techno went up the hill and reached the shops.

"Any ideas on where to go?"

"J-j-j-just one..."

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Wilbur was pacing around Techno's room. It had only been about 15 minutes since his brother went out, but it had felt like hours to Wilbur. He was biting his nails and trying to think of every reason why Tommy would just run away out of nowhere during a terrible storm. It was too dangerous. Techno running out was already adding more worries than there needs to be.

He couldn't wake Phil up for a time like this. He just could not have Phil of all people worrying about things. Phil could possibly even get mad at Wilbur and Techno for not keeping track of Tommy. They were supposed to take care of him. Wilbur would do anything to make sure Tommy is safe and sound, but he can only lead it all up to Techno to get Tommy back.

The DS with Tomodachi Life was still on the floor, pushed to the corner. Wilbur sighed and went to grab the console. He wanted to show Tommy his little look-alike the next day, but now Wilbur doesn't know when he will be able to. He was now worrying more about _if_ Tommy and Techno make it back. Wilbur frowned and shut down the game, tossing the DS onto Techno's bed as he plopped himself onto the same place.

Wilbur put his hands in his hands and tried to relax his paced body, and tried not to panic out loud. He really wished for this storm to be over. Nothing good happens during storms, and now Tommy was gone, and Techno was risking himself to look for him. 

A knock at Techno's door, and Wilbur shot his head up. It creaked open, and in came Phil, a face of worry painted into Wilbur's sight. Phil walked up to Wilbur with a soft frown and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong, Wil? You looked, really concerned? Where's Tech?"

Wilbur just shook some more. He couldn't worry Phil. That guy already has so much to worry about, and having one of his sons and his potential son being gone will cause a lot more worry.

"Wil? It's okay, you can tell me, I won't get mad," Phil reassured and put a hand on the other back softly.

"T-Tommy...he..he ran away, and Techno ran after him. He told me to stay here so you wouldn't worry and-" Wilbur could feel Phil tense when Wilbur said what was going on, "Phil...I'm scared..."

Phil sighed and looked out of a small window in Wilbur's room, "those two are strong. You know Techno won't let anything happen to Tommy. No matter what. I'm sure those two have already found each other and are working it out."

Wilbur could see that Phil was internally freaking the hell out. He was trying to hide his shaking hands and that his chest was raising and lowering quicker than usual. It showed Wilbur how strong Phil was in situations like this.

"But what if they don't? What if they don't make it back. It would be my fault!"

"Wilbur, Tommy must have a reason for running out during a time like this, but I can assure you it _isn't_ your fault. You can't come up with a reason, so don't blame yourself for something you didn't cause."

"I just want them back Phil, I want them here safe and sound."

Phil stayed silent for a moment before he tried to smile at Wilbur. Its sad tone was covered by the darkness of the room.

"Let's go downstairs and have a small snack. Eating something will make you feel a little bit better. But I am worried as well. All we can do is hope that they are alright and they at least have some shelter."

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Techno managed to get him and Tommy to the back of Puffy's shop. Tommy said that he knew how to get in, but he was barely responding, and sometimes Techno could think that the teen was asleep before he would shake the one on his back awake.

"Tommy, you need to stay awake. We are here."

"Nggh..w-we are?"

"Yeah, we are. You said you know the code?"

Tommy made out the code in a shallow breath. Techno punched it in, and the door unlocked. Techno basically threw himself into the small shop and instantly looked around for whatever he could use to start the small fireplace that rested on the side of the shop. It lit up with ease, and Techno sighed and turned to Tommy.

"I need you to take off all of your wet clothes. I know you put warm clothes in your bag. You need to change into those and give me the wet ones. I will look around for any blankets or whatever I can get my hands on to keep you warm. Shout if you need me."

Tommy softly nodded and walked into a different room for privacy reasons. Techno hurried and looked in the backroom to find any blankets or coats or anything cloth that could warm up Tommy. He also was able to find a first aid kit with a couple warm compresses. Techno cheered to himself when he saw many blankets in the area and hauled them all out into the main room. Tommy was there, wrapped in dry clothes, and he was close to the fireplace.

"Are you at least a little bit warmer now?" Techno asked softly as he wrapped a couple blankets around Tommy, who hugged them and shivered. Techno exhaled at the fact that Tommy was shivering. It was a sign that his body was fighting to stay warm. Tommy also seemed to be slightly more present in the situation.

"Y-Yeah. D-d-d-don't you need to stay w-warm though?"

Techno shook his head and pointed to his thick and warm coat, "unlike you, I dressed for this."

Tommy didn't say anything and stared back at the fire. He clutched the blankets tighter, yearning for their warmth.

"You should lay down. It helps with getting your temperature up. Just don't fall asleep."

Normally, Tommy would complain and make a fight when Techno told him what to do. But at that moment, Tommy obeyed and laid down horizontally. He still had his eyes open, focusing on the fire as Techno placed a heat compress on Tommy's chest.

It was silence for a few minutes. Both males _knew_ that they were going to have to speak to each other at one point, but Tommy didn't dare to start anything. Techno had to do it for him.

A sigh, "listen, Tommy. I am going to give you all the reassurance you need, but right now, I'm forcing you to deal with a Phil-lecture."

Tommy winced at the fact but didn't retaliate. Techno frowned at this but started his small talk to the one on the ground.

"Look. I know that at that moment, you heard whatever Wil and I said, and your brain focused on one thing. That thing was to leave because why stay here when you are living a lie?"

Techno paused for Tommy to retaliate to any statement Techno made that was false. When he didn't say anything, Techno continued, his words soft and slow.

"But what you did was nothing but stupid. You rushed into a situation with your emotions and not your brain. If I didn't see someone push you down that hill, we would be in a completely different situation. If you really wanted to run, you need to understand the dangers of not taking care of yourself. I thought someone like you would have known that because you were out there for a year. You also need to know the dangers of being outside at night in general. You have someone stalking you for whatever reason, and you could have gotten kidnapped, and your days of being free outside would be over."

Tommy sniffled, and Techno exhaled. He had complete empathy for the younger, as he was in a similar place before.

"But I know why you did it. I know what you were thinking at that moment because I also have run before. It was our second night, and I misheard something and ran out of the house before Wil or Phil could stop me. Before I knew it, I was out in the snow, and I got hypothermia. Phil was nothing but apologetic to me, and Wil never left my side after that. The short to it is that you need to think before making risky situations."

Tommy nodded, and Techno scooted closer and gripped Tommy's freezing hand. Tommy almost recoiled at the sudden warmth but eased into it within a few moments.

"Look, I know what you heard hurt you. If I took what we both said out of context, I would feel that way as well. But I can promise you that everyone, Phil, Wil, me, we all care about you so so much. I would fight everyone in the world for you. I know it seems weird since I've only known you for not even two weeks, but you mean so much to me."

Tommy's breath hitched at it. His emotions were bubbling over, and he could barely keep them undercover. He started to sob, but Techno kept going.

"Wilbur cares about you so much. Every night he has talked about how much he cares about you and how much worry he has. He loves you so much, and he will show it to you every day after this, so be prepares for that."

Both chuckled warmly. Both were small, but life in them was there.

"Phil...Phil cares about all of us so fucking much. And you may see it now, but that's just a small level. That man will go through hell and back as many times as he needs to for us. He will always care about you, no matter what you do."

"W-Will he get mad at me for doing this..?"

"Never. He will be worried as hell, but he won't get mad at you for this. He understands the emotions right now, and he will understand."

Tommy nodded to that. He felt himself feeling warmer with every moment. It felt way too warm at first, but he knew he needed to stay awake and get warmer. He smiled at Techno, who gave a smile back. Tommy felt happy again.

"Also, fair warning, you could feel like shit in the morning. Consider it karma. It's nothing too bad. It will most likely be a cold. The cold temperatures are going to fuck with your body like that."

"Damnit." Tommy laughed softly.

"Also, we are staying in here until it is safe to go outside. In a little, I will check your temperature. We need to stay up and talk for a bit because I am not risking anything."

"yeah, I get it. By the way, have any dirt on Wil?"

"Oh, you know it."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It was now 3am. Phil and Wilbur were both still awake with worry. To distract themselves, Wilbur was showing Phil Tomodachi life. It was a bit hard to show everything because most islanders were asleep at that time, but there was still some to show.

"Why don't you sleep, Wil? It is really early, and those two aren't going to come back until morning at this point. They must have found shelter and are sleeping there. Hopefully."

The hopefully was said softly to not worry Wilbur, who shook his head at Phil's request.

"I've pulled all-nighters before. Plus, I don't think I can sleep."

"Yeah..."

"I just want them to be safe, Phil."

"I know you do, Wil. I do too, but those two are going to be okay. The storm is done, which will make it so we can go out and find out where they are. I'm sure they didn't get far, so it will be easy. We will get them here, and I think you three will have a day filled just sleeping and resting. Hopefully, the two do not have to get hospitalized for hypothermia, but I know Techno knows how to self-treat it. He will make sure Tommy is safe."

Wilbur nodded. Phil had been saying so many similar comments like that for the past few hours that it was starting to get into Wilbur's head that Techno and Tommy will be okay, no matter what.

"Reminds me when Techno ran out of nowhere as well. God, that night."

Phil sighed and nodded, "it is pretty similar. But Tommy has someone to lean onto right now."

Wilbur looked down at the electronic photo of the game, "there is also a higher risk. It was clear when Techno ran. It was harsh when Tommy ran. Plus, we don't even know how long he was out there for. He could have been gone for an hour before Techno noticed."

"Nah, we both know Techno would have had a gut feeling way quicker than an hour. Knowing him, it was around 5 minutes after Tommy left. Techno has just had a thing like that."

Wilbur nodded. Techno has always been able to have the most accurate gut feelings out of everyone Wilbur has met. So Techno was most likely very precise with the timing. It has always been a thing since the two were kids. A couple times, it had saved the two's lives. It wasn't too simple, but you would get used to it.

Phil yawned and focused back on the DS. It was running low on battery after all this time, so Wilbur tossed it back to the side. He was planning on using it as a light source if it had gotten to a grave point.

Phil looked outside and was in deep thought. Wilbur didn't ask what the other was thinking. He knew he was worried about the two. Phil hadn't said anything about his worries for the hours that they were awake. Phil was the father here. Of course, he was going to worry. Wilbur looked outside as well and frowned for the uncertain future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean uh  
> It's going to get better?


End file.
